Baconsale: Hickory-smoked Pop Culture

Okay, listener, we know we have a slight Obsession with these summer preview episodes, but we also know it’s our duty to disclose which films are lurking in the Backrooms. And it seems today is Disclosure Day. Zack, The Breadwinner of Baconsale, is going to guide Joel and Kent through their lists as this Odyssey unfolds. First, we will talk about a few films that should mercilessly be sent to the (Animal) Farm. But which movies will be Masters of the Universe? Don’t worry, we won’t leave you on a Cliffhanger. Eventually we’ll begin a Brand New Day of positivity where we present films that we think will be Super(girl). We’ll even include a Scary Movie or two, just for good measure.   Press play to hear the full (Toy) Story (5).

Mount Everest is over 29,000 feet above sea level. It is unquestionably the highest peak in the world. But what about the peak of actors? On this episode of Baconsale, Joel, Kent, and Zack have each brought a secret list of popular movie stars. They’ll take turns presenting a celebrity and then debate which film is their ultimate role. We may argue about which summit is supreme, and sometimes we’ll justify mountain ranges, but in the end, we must pick an apex performance and live with our choices. We invite you to play along at home because you know these actors, you know the movie posters, and you quote these films all the time.   Press play for a quick, cringe-worthy lesson in modern slang.

We have crowned a new Listener of Baconsale, and now it is time for Taylor, Kris, and KP (Team Listener) to face Joel and Kent (Team JK) in a battle of trivial knowledge. However, little does Team JK know that some in the room are plotting against them, and they will face one of their most difficult challenges yet. Listen to the drama unfold as we answer questions about science, astronomy, Japanese culture, tools, and some pop culture.   Press play to put a big asterisk on this controversial BaconBit.

It’s time to celebrate another year of Baconsale! Our returning Listener, Taylor, is here to defend his title against two worthy opponents: Kris and KP. The three of them will take on trivia questions covering such topics as parody films, cookies, sauces, song lyrics, TV episodes, and general Baconsale knowledge. Zack and Babs will guide our contestants along each buzzer & white board round while keeping the peanut gallery of Listener Emeriti in check. And then we’ll see who stands the tallest after a rousing round of Jeopardy and the eponymous game of our podcast.   This is a riddle. Press play to understand the three pillars of Baconsale.

Everybody Have Fun Tonight, because Baconsale is ready to chat about songs that turn 40 years old this year. Bad Boy Kent, Danger Zone Zack, and selfish Sledgehammer Joel have all picked a tune for each category. It wasn’t easy to select only ten songs, because sometimes we get caught in a Bizarre Love Triangle of music, and we’re Livin’ on a Prayer that we chose the right song. But we do it for the Glory of Love, and we’ll try to make sure each other’s picks were actually released in 1986 because That’s What Friends Are For.   Press play to learn if Florida and Amanda exist.   And visit Baconsale.com to find our official 1986 playlist.

Chips Ahoy! On this episode of Baconsale, we’re chewin’ (Oreo, rather, crunchin’) a bunch of store-brand cookies. We bravely navigated the cookie aisle in the supermarket and purchased 21 of the popular snacks. Joel binge-ate them with his family, while Zack and Kent (the cookie bullies) spread their taste testing out over a week or so. Now, we’re ready to rank and tier Famous Amos, Keebler, Little Debbie, Pepperidge Farm, Royal Dansk, Moon Pies, Newtons, Tim Tams, Lorna Doone, Nutter Butters, and more. We don’t always agree on what tastes good, but we can agree that many of these cookies remind us of our grandmas.   Ignore the calorie count. Press play to hear the weird eating habits of elves who live in a tree.

One Last Time, Baconsale is going to be discussing 2010s pop stars. We have to Humble ourselves a little and Take Care during this tournament, because while we may not Treasure some of these artists, there are a Million Reasons why they’re beloved by others. As we fill in each Blank Space on the bracket, there may be some Blurred Lines in our logic. Our arguments might also go in Circles as we’re Thinking Out Loud. And we could be sitting in silence for FourFiveSeconds trying to make a decision. However, we’ll do our best to exercise our Demons and stay Wide Awake as we’re Rolling in the Deep discussions about this music.   Sorry, We Can’t Stop with all these song title puns. Press play because This Is What You Came For.   And for some additional Cheap Thrills, download the advanced bracket at Baconsale.com.

With this BaconBit, Baconsale is going to revive the ballet and opera industries. None of us sat down and fully watched the 98th Academy Awards this year, but we all watched the most important clips, including the touching tribute to Rob Reiner and the random comedy bits that were Frankensteined together throughout the ceremony. To be honest, Kent and Zack are a little disappointed in Conan, while Joel is just trying to decide which gift bag prize he would choose. And while we’re all a little saddened that our scores are so low because of our draft-style ballots, one of us will win a robe and one of you will win a $50 gift certificate to your local movie theater.   Hurry! Press play before the orchestra starts the music and the microphone drops!

When it comes to tournaments, this isn’t the First of the Year, but Ain’t It Fun to do a bracket for popular music of the 2010s? Some of these bands found International Love, some are only famous because of TiK ToK, and some still Run the World, but we’re going to Carry On and Try Everything to compare them to one another. Joel, Kent, and Zack are Shameless about not knowing some of these artists, but the Boys are going to Try not to be Shallow. They’re going to give Attention where it is due, Work to not be the Bad Guy, make difficult decisions with Finesse, and do our best to not give you a Heart Attack as we draw Closer to deciding which hitmaker is ultimately Unstoppable.   We’ll finish up this bracket when we See You Again. Boom Clap! Press play.   Don’t be a Sucker, visit Baconsale.com to download the official bracket and find our Spotify Supercut playlist of songs featured in this episode.

With the 98th Academy Awards coming up, it’s time, once again, for Baconsale to describe the various nominees since people haven’t seen most of these films (including most of us). Joel, Kent, and Zack are also going to be making their predictions about who is going to win each category, but this year, there’s a twist. After one person picks their winner, the others can’t choose the same one. And the choosing order will be randomized each round. It’s organized chaos as we discuss donkeys, get confused by the Norwegian language, and only laugh at Kent’s jokes. And with a customized prize based on the Best Picture winner, the stakes have never been higher.   Will One Battle After Another come off victorious? Will F1 be #1? Will Hamnet suffer another heartbreaking loss? Will Marty reign Supreme? Can Frankenstein pull itself together? Will Bugonia ascend? Will Sentimental Value tug at the heartstrings of the voters? Or is Hollywood just a bunch of Sinners? Press play to hear our thoughts in a higher register.  

Bonjour, listener! Comment allez-vous? On this magnifique episode of Baconsale, messieurs Joel, Kent, and Zack will be sharing their thoughts on French pop culture. We also have a, how do you say, special guest joining us here in the La Maison de Bacon. Our bonne amie Babs will assist us with our pronunciations and share some personal experiences about her time living in France. Also, we will be giving answers for such categories as Cinema Vérité (excellent films), A Voice that Brings Me Joie de Vivre, Encore for this Export, An Invention with Savoir-Faire, Bon Appétit (good food), Faux Pas Cuisine (bad food), and My Dream Bon Voyage! There will be plenty of poor attempts at French accents, but we’ll try to avoid clichés as we converse about bread, cheat to find loopholes, and discover what isn’t actually French.   Are you ready to press play? Oui? Then allons-y!

Okay, listener, it’s time for an apartment meeting. We need to set some ground rules for living with other people. And whether you’re rooming with college students, a spouse, your kids, or your mom, Baconsale is here to help you understand proper protocol for co-habitation. We’ve gathered your guidelines and provided some policies of our own in an attempt to see which ones are our BFFs, which ones we’ll keep in touch with occasionally, and which ones we’ll never speak to again. Joel (the dad), Kent (the thief), and Zack (the ghost) will also share some personal stories about weird roommates and even call out a few by name. We hope you enjoy this random episode about prop culture. Press play to remember it all comes down to communication.

Somewhere out there, beneath the pale moonlight, the films we’re discussing on this episode of Baconsale are going to turn 40 years old this year. We’ll begin this highway to the nostalgia zone by creating our Mount Rushmore of 1986 movies. Following that, we have a plethora of categories where we’ll determine if Johnny 5 is alive, if Platoon can defend its position, and if the goblin king has power over us. Along the way, we’ll try not to snub Milo & Otis as we avoid the government agents who are trying to capture us. We hope you enjoy this rad look back to the past since we are the men who will fight for these movies’ honor.   Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and press play once in a while, you could miss it.

Well, Fly Me to the Moon! Is Baconsale doing another episode about Unforgettable romantic tunes? Yes, we are, and we’re doing it with Open Arms. However, this time we examined VH1’s list of Endless Love songs and put them in a tournament to see which Unchained Melody will win At Last. Is Your Song on the bracket? Even if it is, just Breathe, and remember that while it may be a favorite In Your Eyes, it may not do so Wonderful Tonight. On the other hand, Maybe I’m Amazed how far some iconic tracks will go. But no matter what happens, just remember that You Are So Beautiful, I Will Always Love You, and My Heart Will Go On.   How Deep Is Your Love? Well, press play, Babe, because I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.   Also, even though You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, you still can visit Baconsale.com to download this bracket and find our official Spotify playlist of songs that are Always on My Mind.

Is the whole greater than the sum of its parts? That’s the question we’re debating on this episode of Baconsale. We have created a list of 21 match-ups that pit popular bands against the prominent solo artists that spun-off from them. Joel, Kent, and Zack will then discuss and decide which musical act is better. Sometimes it’s very easy, sometimes it’s not, but we always seem to go a little off the rails somehow. You’re going to quickly realize that lyrics are not our strong point, but we hope you enjoy the angry rants and heartfelt testimonies of some contemporary adults about famous musicians.   Press play for some very questionable acronyms.   And you can find our official Spotify playlist for this episode at Baconsale.com.

Don’t call it a comeback, we do this type of Baconsale episode each year. We’re going to take our best guesses as to what pop culture drama and events are going to unfold in 2026. Kent is doing deep research and doing a mini pitch show for each category, Zack is going to occasionally get spicy with his catty commentary, and Joel will be ashamed of some of his picks. Nevertheless, we will press forward with our predictions and let you know where to buy a magazine, discuss how OK the Thunder are, express some hatred for Colorado, and even give some matching answers because everyone’s blue.   Marmosets said press play.

Welcome to another season of Baconsale! As is tradition for our premiere episodes, we’re going to be taking a look back at the movies we watched in 2025. Joel and Kent will be sharing their top five and bottom five films from last year while Zack offers up some color commentary. We hope you enjoy as we get excited about pie, question the Russo brothers, punch down a little, protect the Honmoon, embrace the ick, and try to make Amazon a sponsor. Oh, and one word of advice: don’t watch a movie just because of the poster.   Press play, you mani pedi dream girl!

Would you know our names, if you heard season eleven? We sure hope so, because we say them a lot on this episode of Baconsale! We’re ending this year by reminiscing about topics and sharing inside jokes as we reached 500 episodes and beyond. Joel (who wears a cap) and Kent & Zack (who look so handsome) accomplished some big things this year, including a Disneyland vacation, a road trip to see Weird Al, and a live recording in front of a studio audience, so that’s going to be brought up a lot. However, we’ll also give some insights about the podcast, offer behind-the-scenes trivia, get nostalgic, boop each other on the back, add lettuce, and offer up too many honorable mentions.   Jammies! Like every picture on Instagram, and then press play.

‘Twas late on Christmas Eve, and Santa Claus has finished a long night of delivering gifts to all the good boys and girls around the world. He’s hung up his coat, kicked off his boots, and is just settling into his favorite chair with a hot cup of cocoa when he suddenly realizes something: he’s forgotten about poor little Zackery. Therefore, he calls his recently hired interns, Joel and Kent, to create a magical morning for Zack. Unfortunately for him, the leftovers in Santa’s bag are the ones you, the listener, submitted when we asked you to share the terrible Christmas gifts you’ve received. And so, on this episode of Baconsale, we’re going to do our best with the worst, and see which pile of presents Zack ends up choosing.   Don’t be a condescending elf, press play!

Baconsale is kicking off the Christmas season with one of their oldest and most contentious games: Cable, IMAX, Erase. However, since this episode is holiday-themed, we’re also mixing in jolly music (Concert, iPod, Erase) and festive food (Tradition, One Bite, Erase) as we build to a compounding Christmas finale. Listen as Joel looks for loopholes, Kent attempts to be a puppet master, and Zack grinds some axes. And try not to get yuletide whiplash as you play along at home because this episode is all over the place.   Don’t eat the foil, just press play.