Junk Feud!

Salty, crispy, and oh so delicious, we're trying Lay's Potato Chips! While Lay's didn't invent the potato chip, they may have perfected it. Find out why the origin of this savory snack is still up for debate, and find out why you wouldn't want to say Wow! to one of history's most heinous snack-based inventions. There's a bagful to love on this week's episode of Junk...

[Activate Griswold Voice]: This is it! This is the big one! We've been waiting for this episode for a while, and it's finally here. That's right, it's the real thing - the REALEST thing - Mexican Coca~Cola made with real sugar {citation needed}. It's our biggest, wildest episode ever with cross-border trade-dispute intrigue, blind taste tests (not by us, but still) and a conclu...

Crispy, crunchy, and oh so cheesy, Cheez Doodles is the snack that's as fun to say as it is to eat. From their humble beginnings as horse chow (really!) to their current MSG-laden incarnations, the history of this cheesy snack is ripe with orange-y goodness. Never before have we been this excited about something that's extruded, probably. Grab a bag, grab your headphones, and try not to wi...

Put on your prom dress and take a walk down to the fancy mall because we're talking about cheesecake! Specifically we're talking about some of the places that you can get cheesecake, like ancient Greece, New York City in the 1930s, and everybody's favorite bougie hangout, The Cheesecake Factory. From the accidental (?) invention of cream cheese in Chester, NY to the streets of the Big...

Chewy or Crunchy, who's got the rizz? On this thrilling episode of Junk Feud! We answer the age-old question: Are the Chips Ahoy! in the blue bag or the red bag better? Join us for stories of dorm-room chicanery, two separate Charles Dickens references, and even an attempted murder! There's 1000 chips in every bag and 1000 laughs in every episode of Junk Feud!

Who knew Ronald Reagan's favorite snack was dangerous? We did, that's who! Join us as we try one of the most reviled treats in the pantheon of divisive snacks, the black licorice-flavored jelly bean! Learn what it has to do with the Grateful Dead and why eating too many could land you in the hospital. It's our Easter special and we're filling your basket with joy (and also some sea...

Boy howdy and jumpin' josephat, do we have a treat for you today! Join us as we celebrate Major League Baseball's Opening Day with it's most iconic snack. Join us as we try Cracker Jack, the world's first junk food and our favorite part of our favorite song about a sport that the lyricist had never actually seen in person. There's a prize inside every box and a prize inside eve...

It's the (other) most wonderful time of the year! That's right, we're talking about Girl Scout Cookie Season! Join us as we dive deep into the history and lore of the Girl Scouts and their real claim to fame, the fabled Girl Scout Cookies. From a humble sugar cookie recipe to a multi-billion dollar enterprise, the Girl Scouts have been satiating our craving for crunchiness for decades, because coo...

We're channeling the luck of the Irish today to bring you a local Philadelphia treat, Irish Potatoes! They're candy, believe it or not, but they really do look like little potatoes! Join us as we trace the origins of this regional treat back to the Irish Potato Famine and recall that time when a sitting Vice President was a worse speller than a 12 year old boy. Also, we debut a new segment that th...

Should you buy food from strangers on the internet? No! But also, yes? This week on Junk Feud! we try 2022's viral TikTok condiment, @Chef. Pii's Pink Sauce! Is it FDA approved? No! Does that matter? Also probably no! Listen in as we recount the rise and fall and rise again of a fuchsia food fantasy. Want to know how it tastes? @Chef. Pii won't tell you, you have to find out next on Junk Feud!

White Castle fries only come in one size! The Beastie Boys said it so it must be true (editor's note: It's not), but we're not here for the fries, we're here for the sliders! And we wish we weren't, because they're gross! Come on a Harold and Kumaresque journey with us that features water tower architecture, octogenarian romance, and more references to vomit than should be present in a wholesome s...

Accio snacks!  In this thrilling episode of Junk Feud! we hop aboard the Hogwarts Express and take a journey to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to try Butterbeer, a creamy, frothy delight from the minds of the mad warlocks at Universal Studios.  Can Butterbeer cast a magic spell over our tastebuds, or will the reigning champ send it to the dungeons? Find out next on Junk Feud!

It's Mardi Gras week! Throw some beads with us as we try a New Orleans favorite, the King Cake!  Revel in the glory of the purple, green, and gold. Gasp at the nightmare baby basketball mascot. Breathe a sigh of relief that the mischievous puppy that got into the desserts didn't actually choke on a mass-produced plastic trinket that may or may not represent an infant deity. We're letting the...

BE MINE! It's our Valentine's Day episode, and nothing says TRUE LUV (literally) like Sweethearts Conversation Hearts!  Listen along as we trace the chalky sweets from their humble, medicinal, New England beginnings all the way through bankruptcy, rebirth, and attempts to stay relevant to the youth of today - a few pithy sayings at a time. You'll never look at a lozenge the same way again! Al...

Yummy and gooey, gelatinous and chewy, Gummy Bears are the pride of both interwar Germany and Michael Eisner-era Disney, and they're coming your way right now! Equally likely to power-cleanse your insides as they are to give you a post-workout energy boost, these anthropomorphic fuzzbuckets have delighted children for more than 100 years. But can they claw their way to victory against the most dom...

Freeeeeeeesh Preeeeeeeetzels!  Grab some mustard and a bootleg "Dallas Sucks" t-shirt that you bought outside the Vet in '96 and get twisted with Junk Feud. It's the finale of Jawnuary, our monthlong tribute to Wawa and we're closing it out with perhaps the most divisive of Wawa's snack foods, the Philly Soft Pretzel.  Does this salty icon from yesteryear have what it takes to overcome i...

Nothing goes better with Phillies baseball than a Tastykake, and nothing goes better with your commute than Junk Feud!  This week we're diving deep into the world of Tastykakes, the Delaware Valley's favorite snack cake! Join us as we discuss the finer points of Krimpet geometry, coffee cake streusel extrusion, and why you should always scrape the wrapper.  It's Jawnuary, it's Junk Feud!...

Jawnuary continues with an in-house favorite from Wawa, the Peach Iced Tea!  Join us as we discover the history of the Northeast's favorite Goose-themed convenience chain and relive a summer that one of your co-hosts spent chipping frozen gum from the undersides of school desks while guzzling down hoagies and "peachitty teaskitties!" You're gonna' love this jawn right here!

Yo, listen to this jawn right here! Happy Chew Year everyone! Join us as we kick off 2023 with the month of Jawnuary, our celebration of Philadelphia convenience store institution Wawa. We'll be rating and reviewing snacks that you might grab on a Wawa run, starting with that old gas station staple, beef jerky! Come eat some meat with us and learn all about our New Year's Resol-CHEW-tions!

Awwww yeah! Welcome back once again to the world's yeetest podcast!  The Holiday Snacktacular has wrapped (see what we did there?) and it's back to the competition with an absolute banger of a treat, banana cream pie! This midcentury snack is your co-host's favorite food in the world and an annual birthday institution, but can it overcome the crispy sweetness of Cinnamon Toast Crunch? Find ou...

Ho, Ho, WHOAH! It's the thrilling conclusion of the first ever Junk Feud! Holiday Snacktacular! Join us as we make an absolute mess of ourselves building, eating, and rating Buddy the Elf's breakfast dessert pasta from the classic holiday film Elf (2003).  Don't be a cotton-headed ninny muggins! Listen now! Oh, and Merry Snaxmas to all and to all a good bite!

Ho Ho WHOAH! Welcome back to week three of the Junk Feud! Holiday Snacktacular as we check out the newest variety of Elf on the Shelf Breakfast Cereal! Join your intrepid cohosts as we navigate the geoengineering principles behind the treat's "magical cooling sensation" and the marketing genius inherent in convincing kids to invite a spy into their home. Can this latest snack capture the Kringle C...

Snaxmas time is here, crunchiness and cheer! It's not the holidays without a big bowl of crunchy salt, and the best of all is Chex Mix. Whether it's from the original 1952 recipe or a secret family concoction that's been passed down through generations, it's hard to beat a savory mix of cereal and nuts. But can it overtake the inaugural winner of the Kringle Kup? Also, we investigate the link betw...

It's the most HUNGERFUL time of the year! Ho, Ho, WHOAH! It's the premiere episode of the Junk Feud! Holiday Snacktacular. Join us as we ring in the holiday season (literally) with Hershey's Kisses... like, a lot of them. See which version of the little holiday themed treats we crown the inaugural winner of the Junk Feud! Kringle Kup! Merry Snaxmas everybody!

It's our first ever Thanksgiving Blowout, and what better way to celebrate than with the sweet cinnamon taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch! Join us as we investigate the strange disappearance of two of the three CTC bakers, marvel at the antics of a living toaster, and give thanks for all the different ways that we can get our warming spice fix. Will CTC have what it takes to dethrone the reigning, de...