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It's a clearinghouse of hot takes. Break free for something special. The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller starts right now.
In the air everywhere.
The Fifth Hour with me, Ben Maller and Danny g Radio, who's producing this podcast on this Friday, our final podcast ever. We will never do another podcast in February of twenty twenty five.
This is it.
This is It's all over. It is all over today. It ends right now. I know, I know. It's a fun day today. It's a show that I always look forward to. We do the show every single year, and we're doing it on Friday. It's the red carpet event for the twenty twenty five Benny Awards, the greatest night in overnight sports talk radio, the night that we celebrate the people that make the Ben Mahler Show a show. And we'll give you all the malarads. What we expect
to happen. Well we get any surprises, I don't know. The voting is still going on right now, and we're excited about what's gonna happen, and we have no idea. That's the magic of the Benny Awards. But as far as today's concerned, it's the twenty eighth day of February and it is National Chocolate sou Flay Day. So make sure you celebrate because there's one thing we need is an entire day dedicated to the chocolate sooo fley and today is that day.
It's National Pancake Day. Now. I don't know about you, but that's a day. Now.
I don't eat breakfast food very often, but when I do, it's normally corn beef hash and some kind of pancakes, because I'm all about all about the pancakes, also of course known as Johnny cakes or griddle cakes or hot cakes, and the famous lines selling like hotcakes. But the word pancake first appeared in English in the fifteenth century. There's a little fun fact for alf the alien opiner, so it goes all the way back to the fifteenth century.
And when you think pancakes now, the original pancake will not call the pancake six hundred BC the first reference in ancient Greece, and it came from a poet who described warm pancakes in one of his writings. The first breakfast was that was eleven eighty. Apparently no one ate breakfast before then, never before nineteen thirty one, which was like almost one hundred years ago. Biz Quick introduced the Fluffy Eat pancake mix, and that was nineteen thirty one.
And so there's some random factoids about delicious, wonderful pancakes which are relatively easy to make and depending on what kind of topping you put on them, simply amazing. It is also car Keys and Small Change Day. That's right, car Keys a small Change Day. And let me point out that this is something that we don't really do much of anymore as far as the small change.
Most people just use credit cards these days and that's it.
But this day celebrating things that are stored in your pocket and pockets. Here's a factoid. The history of pockets goes all the way back to thirty three hundred BC. Gentlemen known as the iceman wore a belt with a pouch sewn into it. The pouch is said to have contained a scraper, a drill, a flint flake, some kind of bone thing, and dried tender fungus. The word pocket actually derives from the Old English word, which is p o u q u e po q. I believe that
was during the thirteenth century. I put a question mark out there just in case I am I am wrong. So that is the day to day. But let's get to the Red Carpet Show, and we're looking forward to Sunday night into Monday morning, eleven o'clock in the west. On Sunday night three am, actually two am rather two
am in the East. So we have a bunch of categories, as you know, for the Bennies, the one that is going on, and you got a couple of days to vote on this, but I recommend doing it right now because it is ridiculously close as we are doing this in real time here early in the morning on this Friday, after doing the overnight show last night. The final three, the three amigos of Social Media Influencer of the Year
for twenty twenty five. You got a little time left, but if you're on X the final three are Alf the Alien, O, Piner, Fergnog, and Justin and Cincinnati. And Justin is a legend who's won many awards on the show over the years. It's really controversial though that he's able to make it as a wild card. He did not have a first round by, and Alf and Fergnog
were number one seeds, so as number one seeds they advanced. Now, if you look at the opening bracket that we did on social Media Influencer of the Year, we had four number one seeds. We had Fergnog, Alf, the Alien, Ol Piner, Super Marcus, Steve, and mister Nice Guy. They all got first round bys, and so Justin had to play. It's like a team on wildcard weekend getting all the way to the super Bowl.
Now will he win?
I don't know, but it's controversial because of this, and I love Justin.
Justin has been a great supporter for the show.
He had the famous incident when he was he got a job at a morgue and he was picking up bodies at the hospital. He lost the job because he picked up the wrong body. I think he had told the story of the air. He was supposed to pick up a cadaver that was a white guy and he ended up bringing like a black Guy or something like that. I forget, maybe vice versa. And he lost his job at least that's the story that he told. And he's done some crazy stuff on the show, but he hadn't
been that active. At the end of twenty twenty four he took a little hiatus, and he's so powerful. He's like the Kawhi Leonard or Street Closed Davis Anthony Davis. That he's continued his popularity. But then you got the Ogs, right, you got Alfie Alien Opiner, who has been loyal no matter where I pop up, I fill in, I do these guest spots on different radio stations. I fill in sometimes the TV show and alf is there for all
of it. And then like Alf's apprentice, Ferdnog very similar, but a West Coast version of alf Fergie, who I have heard rumors has been sending dms to Kooper Loop. I don't know what that's all about. There's some gossip in the station, there's some stuff going on. But those are the final three standing. And we had some great names that we're in this thing, Robin Vegas, Robbie the Mariner,
Fan Mall or prop Guy. You know, we mentioned Super Mario, Steve Donkey Sausage, Manuel and Guardina late Night drug Tester. These are some heavyweights, and if you listen to the show, you know that I end up reading a lot of the comments from feedback, real time feedback from all these guys that are part of the problem. Ecan Roseville, Minnesota. How many times have I said Econ Roseville, Minnesota. I mean, I can't even count that high, because I really can't
count high at all. But congratulations everybody, It's to the final three. We'd love for you to vote today so you don't forget. But that category, I want to say that I think Justin's a slight favorite, and I don't know why because again, not that I don't despise Justin. Ay, all these guys have been loyal minions and foot soldiers for the Malad militia, but the fact that Justin was away so much and is so popular as wild. But it's really neck and neck as we are doing it
here again early in the morning on this Friday. It is really just a couple of percentage points separating al Fergdog and Justin and Cincinnati. Now, as for the rest of the categories, you can vote. There is a link on the Facebook page. There's a link also on x which just be called Twitter, but it's pinned to the top of the page. And we've already had hundreds and hundreds of votes and there's still time to get in
the categories. For the twenty twenty five bettings, we have Rookie Caller of the Year celebrating the new people that started calling the show. Now they have done studies whoever they are in talk radio over the years, and the vast majority, like ninety nine point seven percent of people that listen to the show will never ever call the show. Either they just are working and they can't call the show, or they just they don't like the sound of their voice, I don't want to be part, or whatever.
The reason they're not gonna call.
So it's one of these weird things when we get new people and it takes a while to kind of let us know who you are, and you gotta it's a lot of work. You got to stay on hold. It's not the easiest thing in the world to break through as a caller. And so we've had a good group of callers that are new callers to the show, and the nominees, as we said on the air, the other day. You can vote for one of these gentlemen.
We have Daniel in Fort Wayne, Daniel the Crossing Guard, who's got a great personality, very he very positive guy in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Moe Joe Risen from the Bay Area, also very positive, happy go Lucky. Tuna in Laguna, the Great Tuna in Laguna. You can vote for him, and he's quite the character. Mike the Leprecaun who's called on a regular basis. He normally does a dad joke. Mike the Leprechaun. You've got Kelly in de Moines formerly in Nashville, and she is now a couple. They're gonna
get married with Shane in the Moine. And you've got the great Danny DeVito, my guy, Danny DeVito. How many other shows have Danny DeVito as a nominee for an award? The Ben Maller Show does. So I'm gonna say that Kelly in the Moines based on the Mallarrods. I think Kelly's a slight favorite, a slight favorite. And then behind Kelly, you've got Danny DeVito. And I would even say Mike the leperkhn because he's been very active on the show. So I think they're the favorites, but there's talent all
over the place. Now we have game show Contestant of the Year, and we played a lot of game shows. Were the last of the Mohegans that plays these game shows.
And I like that have fun. I figure it's overnight. We don't have a budget.
A lot of these radio shows pay for guests, and there have been some other radio shows that are no longer on at night that used to go in and record a bunch of interviews and then play them back overnight. So we don't do that. We just have us and we're the show and you tune in for us. And so game show contests in of the Year. We've got Coach Russell from Orlando who made quite the impact Lady
in the Year. Coach Russell a solid game show contestant and he's a high school football coach in the Orlando area. Kelly in Des Moines again, Kelly formerly in Nashville.
She's called a lot for the game shows.
Manuel and Guardina, a legend who's been with me since I did local radio in LA back in the day. Chris in the Commonwealth, Chris and Massachusetts, and also Chris and Boston. So these guys both guys named Chris who happened to be in the same area. But Chris is out in the Commonwealth, out in the sticks. Chris is in Boston proper, and Mitch in man Cato. So of those, Ah, boy, that's tough. You got Chris and Boston, who's called for
a long time, loves the game shows. Kelly and des Moines popular also, and then you got the og, Manuel and Guardina, So I would say they're the favorites going to that lame joke Contributor of the Year. We have a lame joke segment. We actually did it this morning in the third hour. And what do we have here? We have Kurt from Earth Chip and Maine, Surfer, Todd the comedian, Gordon Nick Tacoma, and Noah in Austin. So those are the nominees. And of those, you've got the Og,
a guy that won the Benny last year. Surf for Todd, the comedian who's quite the character. If you've met Todd, Todd's been out to a few of our Mallord meet and greets. Surf for Todd. He was at the one in Vegas last year with his lovely wife Todd also came surf for Todd to the one we did in La, so he's he's like to me, he reminds me of I've never met weed Man in person, weed Man hippie, but he reminds me of that kind of guy. So I have Surf for Todd has a pretty big favorite here.
But don't discount Gordon and Tacoma sneaky good joke writer. Gordon and Tacoma really good joke. I mean, all these guys are talented, and I feel somewhat bad because we can only nominate so many people. But Georgie and Uvaldi for example, the horse guy that calls up or he doesn't call up, he actually sends jokes in Butter Milk Guide that's.
Been been around lately.
I mean, there's a lot of people to send jokes in, and you guys have all been great, and so we can only nominate so many people.
But it's a it's a tough category.
Surfer Todd is a professional I say professionally he's a surfer, but he f's around with the comedy and he's really funny. He's a really funny man. All these all these guys are best. Ask Ben question we do a segment every week ask Ben and Friends, and we've got Lady Sideburns, a fan favorite, Lady Sideburns, Late Night Drug Tester, and og on the show Cowboy Killer the King Rory making a name change to try to get more votes. I forty Ian gets a lot of play fer Dog and
Alf the Alien Old Piner. So considering these guys, we're both number one seeds overall and social media influence year. I say that Alf and fer Dog are the favorites. I would not discount Late Night Drug Tester. I think if anyone other than those three wins, that would be a huge upset. That would be a massive upset for sure. So we also have best crew fill in and in this category you've got our friend Bree always Positive. I
love Bree. Breeze great. She's wonderful, very positive young lady, and she's been with the company since she was an intern lover. She's great. She fills in for Coop sometimes she's on there. The Great Mark Mark Ramsey, He's from Chicago. He sits in for Loraina quite a bit. He's the White Sox fan. The Great Bernie Frato, my man Bernie from Vegas. Brian know who fills in for me more than anybody when I'm away. Lee to Lap who has stepped in for Coop many times. Lee's the morning Show
producer and Milkman Mike as fake Weedman. Weed Man had spent a good chunk of twenty twenty four in jail. He kept getting arrested in Miami for just being homeless, and he didn't have a place to sleep. He can't sleep outside, so he kept getting arrested, and Milkman Mike stepped in and is the man of a thousand voices. He did the Leslie and Jack the Judge impersonation the weed Man. We used him for quite a bit and so his first time ever a non employee has been nominated for Best Crew Filling.
So based on name.
Value, I think that Milkman Mike because it's so unique. I think he's a slight favorite. But Brian No filled in a ton Bernie and people love Bree, so I would not be shocked which way.
That goes at all now drop of the year.
This is this is where I say get taken out of context and repackaged and other people We've got me saying give me a little taste of that, and then I mentioned a caller from Dayton. You can vote for that. I have a pickle in my box right now. That was a Lorena Lorena one we also have because I had to chew the and then some kind of I forget what else for me? And you also have hollering James, who snored and farted at the same time. So to me,
hollering James is the favorite here. That is an unbelievable talent that I didn't know is possible for the human body to snore and fart at the same time. OMG, So that's my guy hollering. Just my vote goes to James. I have him as the favorite. I'd also put Loraina in there. I think Loraina because people love Lorrain. I mean, you dudes, you know who you are, some of your dudes. I mean, she's getting stuff in the mail all the time.
You've showed her a lot of love the Mallard militia, and that's great and I'm happy for her, and you guys love her and that's wonderful. But I think because of her popularity, I would put her as the favorite, and then nobody I'd say stupid things all the time. Nobody wants to hear me winning a Benny Award. That's silly. So that's the drop of their Blind Caller of the Year. We have more blind callers than any other radio show, any of them. So the nominees for Blind Caller of
the Year. As we prepare for the Bennies on Sunday, this is our Benny Red Carpet Show.
You've got the great Stevie Meatballs. Quite a character.
Stevie Meatballs lives in Florida, and he's very angry a lot of the time. He says a lot of stuff that can't be read on the air. But enjoy his work. The Blind Seahawk fan love Emmett Young dude loves the show.
We love him.
He's got his own podcast. He's hustling. I love guys that are putting the work in there. Legally blind Christopher from the Carolinas, but as hard as from Michigan. You've got the legend Inca Terror and Blind Scott, the og of blind callers, And on this one, I'm gonna set the odds. To my knowledge, it's got to be somebody with name value. These all these guys are known in the blind community. They're stars in the blind community. They're famous people because we know who they are, that we
know their history. I will say that Inca Terror based on the mallarodds inco Terror and Blind Scott name value. They've been with the show a little bit longer than the other guys.
So I have.
Blind Scott and InKo Terror as the favorites now International Caller of the Year.
Very competitive category. I was told by.
One of the people that have seen the numbers, the early numbers on the voting, this is the most competitive category. I don't know if that's true or not. The nominees. One of these people will be winning the Benny. We have Otto bon Butch who called us many times from Germany. He's actually just moved back to the States he was living abroad.
Hank in Tokyo who's a great character on the.
Show, Ozzie Wiz Ozzi Momentum, Terry in England, and mister Hurt from Montreal, who's a kind of a newer caller, certainly as a newer caller compared to some of those other guys. So I'm gonna basically odds again on name value on the show. Who's been with the show, who's made the biggest impact So of these international callers, I've got Terry in England is the favorite. Terry is He's a spicy dude and he likes to throw down, likes to get my face and challenge me, which I appreciate.
A lot of you guys are boot lickers. Terry's not a boot licker.
So Terry in England, I'd say, Ozzie Waz and Ozzie Momentum are the favorites. Well, let's not discount Autobon Butch. But of that again, you know you only pick two. Is the co favorites I would go, I guess Ozzie was was very active.
And Terry in England. So there you go.
Intoxicated call the Year the Benny's Red Carpet Show. You're on the fifth hour Intoxicated Caller of the Year. Very competitive category. You've got Keg drinking, Steve the over the Top Chiefs fan, j Dot in Utah.
Mouthwash Mike in Vegas. What a character.
Mouthwash Mike is the black irishman who called the Overnight Show last night and said he doesn't understand why people bet on games before they're played. His idea is we should bet on after they're played. What a wonderful idea. I'd win so much money. I have the greatest TV show in the world picking games, if only I could just pick them after the games are done. Nobody else has that take by way, only the black Irishman of this category and talks to kid and Call of the Year.
I'm gonna give Jed who fled and keg drinking Steve and advantage my vote. I'm not eligible to vote, but my vote goes to Mouthwash. Mike, what a character. Tammy and Vegas and some of your other cats who were into Vegas meet and greet this guy.
Unbelievable.
Okay, he's drinking mouthwashed. I feel bad for the guy. We tried to help him, but he's got issues. And some people just got to live their best life or their worst life, and that's that. And he's quite the character, and surprisingly living on the streets of Vegas, he's actually in decent condition considering how hot and cold it gets in Las Vegas. Female Caller of the Year the Ladies. It's Ladies' night. You've got Tammy in Montana and Tammy's the og. She's been with the show a long time.
We love Tammy. She's like the mother Teresa the show. She looks after some of the wackadoodles that are part of the Malard Militia, and she hasn't called as much, but she's got lifetime status in the Malard Militia. Andrea the Astrology Lady from Berkeley, Kelly in des Moines, and Leslie in Bradenton, Florida. I've got Andrea as the favorite. She is the most active caller of these ladies. Leslie and Bradenton calls up one day a week and so if you don't listen that day, you don't know who
she is. And Leslie and Jack the Judge, Kelly and des Moinese also very active. So it's neck and neck between Andrea and I'll have her as the favorite. The Malarads and then Kelly in des Moines formerly in Nashville. The twenty twenty five Beer Drinking Brian Worst Call of the Year. The most competitive category by next to international caller is this one. So we have the nominees. You can vote for this all these awards you can vote for.
The votings open until Sunday night. Gunner in Minnesota. Gunner is a young guy works at a Walmart in northern Minnesota. Way past to Luth and I thought the Luth was like the end of Minnesota. But there's a whole other world I didn't visit when I was in Minnesota. Anyway, Gunner in Minnesota, he is.
He's terrible.
Hollering James, who has won this award in the past, quite the character hollering James. The problem with him winning is we have to give him golden tickets. Nobody wants us to give James golden tickets. Mike d Leprechaun from Boston, Poppy in San Diego, and Jerome and Charleston bringing home Jerome in Charleston. Malarads, Man, this is tough Gunner. Early on, I thought Gunner was gonna win it. But he doesn't
call as often. And I'm basing the malarads on how often you call, so based on the odds, how often you call. I have Poppy in San Diego as the favorite to go back to back and Belly to Belly as the beer drinking Brian worst call of the year back to back? Do we have to call him a dynasty of suck? If he wins now, he might not win because you look around and hollering James. There's a
Love Hate Relationship. I was told by several of you that Marcel and Brooklyn should have been nominated for this category. You really despise Marcel in Brooklyn. He was not not dominated for this award this year. So congratulations to all of the callers that are absolutely terrible and continue to call the show.
We do appreciate it. And now we have reached the crescendo.
The highest honor for the twenty twenty five Bennies and another very competitive category, very very competitive, the highest honor in overnight talk radio, the twenty twenty five Genie and Medford Caller of the Year. Yes, this is the prize of prizes, This is the masterpiece. It is an absolute neck and neck battle here down the stretch in this
category as well. And the nominees are Andre from the Commonwealth, a regular in our one, Marcel in Brooklyn, who's very polarizing because some of you dope so like he's the worst caller.
Other people think he's good.
Whoopee Pie Blair from Maine. Blair is on TikTok Now he doesn't call the show that much anymore. He checks in every once.
In a while. Jed, who Fled, is a fan favorite. I'm actually on the live air helmet Man.
I'm a big helmet man guy. I love helmet Man. I rotate nuts. He loves to talk about being from Baltimore. He hasn't been to Baltimore since the early eighties. Weed Man Hippie is also a previous winner of the Caller of the Year, Manuel in Gardena. We love Manuel, Yes, had a tough run here of late, but we love the contribution Manuel and Guardina makes the show. And one of my favorites is Tony in the Bay Area. I might be the only one. I laugh every time Tony calls.
I love his delivery, sense of humor, the whole thing. He's just a very funny man toning the Bay Area and I enjoy his work. Now is that enough to win the highest honor on the Ben Malor Show, the highest honor in overnight sports talk radio.
Probably not? Probably not, But listen, this is too close to call.
I'm told also, and based on the information I have in front of me here, this is actually now the closest category, not International Caller of the Year. It is the Genian Medford Caller of the Year, not the International caller. So congratulations to everybody the favorite based on name value. You got to put weed Man, Hippie, Marcel helmet Man, Jed hu Fled. I mean, all these guys call a lot,
so good luck to all of them. And I'm told that this is separated by less than one percent first to second place and first to third place is separated by.
Three point four percentage points. That's how close.
This is the highest honor and overnight Sports Talk Radio the Genie had meant for Caller of the Year award. All right, we'll get out on that. Have a wonderful Friday. We thank you for supporting the show and being loyal, and we're let this kind of breathe all weekend long here and then make sure to vote. If you want to have other people vote, let them know, send them a link. It's on my x page at the very top. It's also on the Facebook page on the Ben Malor Show Facebook page.
And good luck to everybody.
We hope you guys enjoy the Bennys and we'll have a new show. Hopefully Dany'll be with me, I don't know his schedule on Saturday, and then we'll have the mail bag on Sunday.
And I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go sleep is what I'm gonna do.
Anyway, I have a wonderful, wonderful day later, skater who that's how you do it right, Danny wrong, Asta pasta, got a murder.
I gotta go.