Reverse Jackass

Evelyn tells the story of her sister's childhood emergency, a heroic teacher, a pair of wildly oversized lost-and-found jeans, and the most confident cover story ever built around a school milk contest. Nick responds with his own childhood prize trauma, and the devastating discovery that sometimes the universe does answer your prayers...kind of.  Also discussed: CD players, school fundraisers...

Nick tells the story of a mandatory workplace “team-building” trip that somehow involved a rental van, the cops, kayaking, interpersonal misery, and a much closer look at nature than anyone had requested. Evelyn counters with the particular horror of back-to-school professional development, tiny desks, forced summer sharing, and one party game that quickly becomes a psychological endurance test fo...

Evelyn and Nick swap babysitting stories from an era when adults simply looked at teenagers and thought, “Yes, this person can absolutely manage my children, my pets, my household, and several emergencies with no meaningful instructions.” Evelyn revisits a few formative childcare moments involving farm animals, allergies, questionable movie selections, and one deeply unfortunate holiday popcorn ti...

Nick tells the story of moving into a Chicago apartment, opening the fridge, and discovering a takeout bag so powerful it may have violated several municipal bylaws. Evelyn responds with tales from the glamorous world of student move-out dump diving, where treasure, Tide Pods, and absolute biological horror can all be waiting in the same pile. It’s an episode about mysterious smells, abandoned lef...

In this episode, Evelyn shares a family story that accidentally became a running joke for decades, while Nick responds with a tale about a single childhood moment that somehow followed him far longer than anyone intended. Together they explore how families can latch onto one tiny detail and turn it into your entire identity. Also discussed: show choirs, orchestral catastrophes, emotional scarring,...

It's a Nick Episode today on the RJP! Nick revisits a college soccer class he loved taught by a former mentor he once admired. The story takes a weird turn with one wildly baffling interpretation of the ending of the movie Basic Instinct .  Then Evelyn decides to call in her husband Jason to tell a truly indelible high school story involving an interrupted grade 9 math class, and an educator...

In this episode of the RJ Podcast: obnoxious morning radio show hosts, bad Sean Connery impressions, hot-pink stilettos, Evelyn not knowing how to walk properly, karate choreography, and the emotional aftermath of an eight-year-old loudly pointing out the obvious.  It's an episode about embarrassment, survival, and the strange way our most mortifying moments can follow us around for decades. ...

In this episode of the RJP, Nick shares the time he learned that a beloved cookie recipe should have limits. Then Evelyn tries to explain the biggest leap of faith she has ever taken: walking away from an 18-year teaching career without a tidy plan waiting for her on the other side. There are questionable baking choices, complicated identities, creative hunger, and one extremely sincere attempt to...

Evelyn and Nick attempt a wholesome cross-border “regional childhood inventory” comparing growing up in rural southwestern Ontario versus Virginia in the 1990s.  Instead, they accidentally uncover what appears to be two entirely different genres of danger. (And make sure to listen riiiiiiiiight to the end on this one. You won't regret it.) (...Should we make Reverse Jackass branded poking sti...

Nick recounts the terrifying saga of the second-worst neighbour he ever had: a drunken Chicago menace, a late-night backyard standoff, a suspected gunshot, and an emergency call that accidentally turned out to be helpful. Meanwhile, Evelyn takes us to Prince Edward Island, where a carnival ride secured with little more than optimism and a heroic hemp rope nearly convinced her she would never walk...

In this episode of the RJP, Evelyn shares a well-intentioned attempt to improve staff morale that turned into a year-long exercise in optimism and emotional endurance.  Nick counters with a story about trying to “do the right thing” during a breakup and somehow making everything dramatically worse with the help of Drew Barrymore. Can Canada and the United States find common ground in movie-night-r...

This week on the RJP, Nick recounts a flawlessly executed middle-school scheme involving the U.S. national anthem, impeccable timing, and one very unfortunate classmate (and teacher). Meanwhile, Evelyn discovers that games with your siblings become significantly more dangerous when swing sets on the farm are involved. We'd love to thank the sponsors of this episode: Revenge, baseball, gravity...

We're crackin' open a cold episode 52 here on the Reverse Jackass Podcast! Nick remembers a high school health-class demonstration that went much further than expected, while Evelyn revisits a pandemic-era school-board conflict that left her feeling very alone in a system she had spent years trying to serve. It is an episode about authority, betrayal, and the moment you realize the peopl...

If a postcard brought you here, welcome to Reverse Jackass : a cross-border podcast where Evelyn (a Canadian), and Nick (an American), attempt extremely informal peace talks between two neighbouring countries with wildly different instincts and far too much confidence. Consider this the beginner’s guide to our show. Expect oddball prompts, cultural differences, personal stories, friendly heckling,...

This week, Nick tells the story of the time a completely innocent movie invitation somehow turned into a major misunderstanding that resurfaced in the most uncomfortable place imaginable: the dentist's chair with someone's hands in his mouth. Meanwhile, Evelyn confesses her lifelong feud with mussels, and shares the horrifying tale of an earwig-infested thermos. First though, they have a...

For our 50th episode, we finally do what every successful podcast eventually does: aggressively pursue sponsorship money. After narrowing the field to a handful of highly questionable finalists, we present a series of ad reads from potential sponsors on both sides of the border and let you, the listeners, decide who deserves our integrity. Fifty episodes. Against all odds. Against some advice. And...

Nick shares the story of a future college roommate whose drunken sleep-talking leads to one of the most alarming misunderstandings imaginable at two in the morning.  Meanwhile, Evelyn revisits her first-ever trip to a drag bar in Ottawa, where an attempt at friendly conversation accidentally turns into a social catastrophe she still thinks about decades later when she's putting on mascara. Ma...

It's Evelyn's birthday today, HUZZAH! The now 45-year-old Canadian Blade reflects on one of her favourite birthdays and the freedom that comes with getting older. Nick responds with a story involving poker in Vegas, a douchebag of an opponent, and an unexpected moment when he was called a name (you'll have to listen to find out what that was!) for the first time in his life. Along t...

This week, Nick opens the episode by singing every preposition in the English language from memory like a deeply patriotic schoolboy. What starts as a conversation about education quickly spirals into a discussion about wildly influential teachers, questionable school lessons, French immersion culture, and one unforgettable high school rumor involving a nudist park photo accidentally shown during...

Episode 46 begins with Evelyn making the classic mistake of saying yes when she absolutely meant no, which is how she and her husband ended up at Mr. Bill’s house for chili, bean jokes, and one deeply uncomfortable baptism interrogation. Nick counters with a college-era TGI Fridays dinner where one friend says the exact wrong thing at the exact wrong moment…and the server shows up like a fart at a...

Episode 45 here on the Reverse Jackass podcast! Nick takes us back to first grade, where a long-simmering hatred for a kid named Brian finally meets its moment: one perfectly timed, absolutely nuclear soccer kick straight to the face. The result? Blood everywhere, Brian snot-crying, and a missing permanent tooth. Justice is served, consequences are not. Evelyn counters with two crimes of her own:...

Episode 44 is what happens when two people try to be kind… and instead create lifelong emotional damage for someone never to be seen again. Evelyn shares the story of sponsoring a young child in Indonesia and doing her absolute best to keep things simple, relatable, and culturally sensitive… only to accidentally step right in it and create the worst possible threat for any 5 year old's belove...

Episode 43 of the RJP brings us the most dangerous thing Nick has ever brought to the podcast:  Preparation. Inspired by Evelyn’s Canadian citizenship test, Nick unveils a game called American or Canadian , where Evelyn must identify whether a suspiciously flattering bio belongs to an American or Canadian public figure. Simple enough, right? WRONG.  By the end, various American's and Canadian...

Root doot doot, it's episode 42! We begin with Evelyn introducing Nick to one of Canada’s most beloved national heroes: Terry Fox, the 21-year-old Canadian who attempted to run across the country on one leg to raise money for cancer research. Nick, somehow, has never heard of him. Canadians across the country and shocked...and "the square provinces" don't know what to do with t...

We’re getting medical on episode 41 of the Reverse Jackass podcast! Nick takes us inside his first colonoscopy experience, from pre-procedure dread to the unexpected joy of waking up peacefully drugged, pain-free, and newly in possession of a full-colour photo album of his own pristine colon. He also offers a surprisingly sincere PSA: get your colonoscopy, especially if colon cancer runs in your f...