The Twist Podcast with Mark and Rick

Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose for an election special. Plus we stand with Ukraine, and demolish "Comedian" Shane Gillis.

Join Mark and Rick for a retooled Twist as we talk about Cornell and America's peak assault culture, catch up with happenings and news, and hear a review of Ann Cleeves' newest, 'The Dying Light.'

Join co-hosts Mark and Rick for another episode of The Twist Podcast! This week, Mark recaps his recent trip to Rehoboth Beach — the highlights, the surprises, and everything worth sharing from the getaway. Then the guys dig into the week's top news stories, breaking down what's actually worth paying attention to and why it matters. Of course, no episode of The Twist is complete without our weekly...

Join co-hosts Mark and Rick for a rundown of Mark's trip to Beach Haven, NJ, some shade on tipping in America, and a Hit List recommendation for Marlon James's stunning 'The Disapearers.'

Join co-hosts Mark and Rick as we soak in the sun on the shores of Lake Obama, where everyone is woke and equality comes with the soft serve. Plus we take a look at the start of the holiday onslaught. BONUS: 'The Shores of Lake Obama' song, a Twist Podcast exclusive.

Join Mark, Rick, and special correspondent Prance Thunderbottom for this almost-live show. Mark is in Provincetown, MA, where he met up with Prance, and Rick is home in Madison. We talk about the joys of America's gayest town, and pay tribue to the great Dolly Parton, whose kindness, compassion and generosity set a standard very few people meet. She's in the heavens now.

Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose pre-P-town getaway for Mark. We check out some fun facts about the town, learn that the Whopper came first, harp a bit on Natalie, and spread the word on Mark's new supernatural chiller 'Devil's Wood.'

Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose for this week's Twist take on a crazy world. We talk politics, culture, weight loss, and our weekly Twist recommendations. Quirky correspondent Prance confesses his Below Deck addiction, and Mark and Rick offer our highs and lows as America spirals. 

This week Mark and Rick kick back and slow it down a look at Mark's trip to Lancaster, PA—Pennsylvania Dutch Country and, as it turns out, the self-proclaimed pretzel capital of America. They talk Amish countryside charm, why a chocolate pretzel from the source hits different, and what makes Lancaster a perfect getaway. Then it's time for Prance to turn the lens on Homer's classic and current cult...

In this week's show Mark extolls the virtues of Yasso's frozen Greek yogurt—creamy, low-cal, and still delicious. Then we confess to a food show addiction, and why people can't stop watching contestants cook, bake, careen around in food trucks and compete on screen. Plus: the Twist takes a look at the end of Mitch McConnell's long, dubious career.

This week your co-hosts dig into the significance of America's semiquincentennial and what it means to celebrate a milestone birthday in a country that feels as divided as it does hopeful. Then it's on to Washington, DC, where the beloved cherry trees are threatened by another pointless golf course. And finally we regret the rise of profanity in public life and wonder when politicians and TV pundi...

Join cultural court jesters Mark and Rick for another proud Pride show. We nail the news and herald the headlines, offer up our weekly Hit List with our best-ofs and our bugs-us, and debut a movie review from our very own Prance Thunderbottom.

I recently interviewed Rick Gualtieri, the bestselling New Jersey author behind the Tome of Bill series. Rick has built one of indie horror-comedy's most beloved franchises around Bill Ryder, a dateless gamer who gets turned into a vampire and becomes the undead world's most reluctant savior—more than a dozen novels deep and still going strong. We talked about his origin story, his writing process...

Kiana Schraufnagel is a  leader, volunteer, and advocate whose accomplishments span academics, service, athletics, and personal empowerment. She currently serves as Miss Wisconsin Volunteer 2026, while pursuing her psychology degree at Texas Tech University and performing as a Texas Tech Twirler. Her commitment to service has earned her the prestigious President's Volunteer Service Award, reflecti...

Welcome to The Twist and our annual Pride Spectacular. Mark and Rick pull out all the stops for this one. We've got news, we've got joy, we've got Prance Thunderbottom joining the show with his 'Worst in Show' feature.  And later, Rick interviews author David Hylan to talk about his new book Small Town Rage — which, based on the title alone, we feel deeply in our souls. David joins us to talk abou...

This week on The Twist, Mark and Rick cut their losses and ditch their tickets to the Great American State Fair — and they have thoughts. Then it's all good news as they share their enthusiasm for Eden Sher and Brock Ciarlelli's Middling podcast, the irresistible rewatch show for fans of The Middle. Plus Rick sits down with Courtney Cordova of Madison's Henry Vilas Zoo for a conversation about the...

On further reflection, this week Mark and Rick do cannonballs into Trump's giant kiddie pool, sing the praises of Penzeys super-progressive spice empire, and sound off on what bugs us this week.

Welcome to The Twist, episode 327. Mark and Rick take on the news from a crazy week, finger wag the Supreme Court, dish on the Met Gala, and reveal some unknown facts about Tennessee Williams.

Welcome to The Twist, episode 326. We have a packed show for you today. The luggage cart wars are real — we're talking about the unspoken battlefield of airports and hotels where perfectly reasonable people turn into territorial strangers over a metal cart on wheels. Rick Rose has officially joined Substack, and we'll get into what drove that decision and what he's planning to do with it. We also...

Episode 325 of The Twist is packed. Mark and Rick dig into the week's biggest news stories in their Weekly News Roundup — the headlines, the highlights, and the takes you won't get anywhere else. Then things get a little lighter with Road Trip Fun Facts, just in time for the open road season. And Rick sits down with Enjoyiana Nururdin, journalist and lifestyle content creator, for a conversation a...

This week Mark and Rick reveal fun facts about cloning, the benefits of gardening, and cringey virtue signaling. After that we soak up some wisdom from Jo, following Rick's interview with actor and activist Alexandra Paul.

Meet the android versions of Mark and Rick — same voices, same sensibilities, significantly less coffee dependency — and they're here every week with The Twist Podcast: Android News Edition , your weekly roundup of everything worth knowing and a few things worth arguing about. Will we go weekly? If the interest is there and we can hire more robots. Each week we're covering four beats: science, pol...

If you've been listening to The Twist Podcast for any length of time, you know that Mark and Rick have opinions about things. Culture, politics, food, entertainment, the general state of the world as it lurches forward into whatever this era is going to be called when historians get around to naming it. So we did what any reasonable pair of podcasters would do: we cloned ourselves. Yes, really. Me...

Mark and Rick are back with a packed episode. First we pull back the curtain on something new coming to The Twist, our Android News Edition, a dedicated midweek (for now) show where Mark and Rick's android selves plug into entertainment, food trends, politics, and culture. Then, step inside one of Pennsylvania's most extraordinary and eccentric landmarks: Fonthill Castle. Built by archaeologist an...

Welcome to The Twist Podcast, Episode 322. Spring has officially arrived, and Mark and Rick are celebrating the season with a jam-packed episode. We kick things off with some springtime conversation — what's blooming, what's buzzing, and what's got us looking forward to warmer days ahead. Then it's time for the Twist Hit List, our own humble 'must' list, covering TV, films, books, food, and cultur...