Culture Dumps

Waterbeds, a harmless, sleazy thing of the past? Or a pit of danger awaiting their next victim??? YOU BE THE JUDGE! Ryan is joined by Shawn Kohne of KFLX Fiction Radio to dive into the pool of nonsense that is the history of waterbeds. 

This episode is brought to you by Magic Mind, for 45% off of the new 24 Hour Pack, visit  magicmind.com/CDJAN . Ryan is joined once again by Museum of Home Video’s Bret Berg to discuss the tragic experiment in reality tv known as “Kid Nation.” This ambitious show put 40 children in a western ghost town in attempt to see if kids could run society better than adults. Spoiler, they could not. 

This episode of Culture Dumps is brought to you by Magic Mind. For 45% off of your order of the new 24 Hour Pack go to  magicmind.com/CDJAN This episode marks the epic conclusion of our coverage of American Gladiators. Johnny Ferraro, the eccentric mind behind the show, takes “his” creation on the road and eventually to a dinner theatre. Steroid use runs rampant and the cracks start showing as rat...

This is a special preview of our exclusive Patreon side series “Ryan’s Report!” This is our current events show where Ryan covers current dumps. On this special edition of Ryan’s Report, Ryan is joined by Kyle Rodrick Gridley to recap all of the most dumpable moments of 2024! To listen to the rest of the over hour-long episode go to Patreon.com/culturedumps.

This episode of Culture Dumps is brought to you by Magic Mind. For 45% off of your order of the new 24 Hour Pack go to  magicmind.com/CDJAN We are back with part one of a new double dump! Ryan and Parks dive into the sensation that was American Gladiators. Forged from longstanding down home competition, an Elvis impersonator and arm wrestling champion take their small town dreams to Hollywood...

Mike Diana is the only artist in the history of the United States to be convicted of artistic obscenity. In the early to mid 1990’s Mike’s trial was international news. His story was born out of the ashes of the satanic panic and serial killer craze that held the country, particularly the state of Florida, in its clutches. Mike’s now infamous comic book series “Boiled Angel...

In our second edition of the banned toys series, Ryan is joined by comedian Liz Hader to reflect on several Barbie mishaps and forgottens. From single mother dolls to NSA threats, this episode has it all. While not all of these dolls were banned, they all call for the proper dump treatment.

On our last dump, we began the saga of Charlie Sheen’s Winning Era, a low yet VERY high point in his lengthy career. After becoming the highest paid actor in television history and also one of Hollywood’s once again most eligible bachelor’s, Charlie found himself drifting back to his old ways, and after a bomb shell 20/20 interview, he reinvented himself to become the Warlock wit...

Oh to be alive during the great Sheen meltdown of 2011. It was a glorious time for tabloid culture and social media and content hosting platforms. The tale of Charlie Sheen is long and complex with inexplicable ups and downs. Ryan is joined by Eric D of Meth Syndicate to get to the bottom of what was really going on, and they attempt to answer the age old question, “was he actually winning?&...

This is the harrowing conclusion of our two part interview with the icon Vanessa “Daisy” de la Hoya. Vanessa explains the origins of Daisy and tells the true story of “Daisy of Love.” Complete with bed bugs, on camera brawls, love, loss, and plenty more that truly makes this series one of our all time best. Her story is complex and not an easy one to tell so who better to sum it all up than...

The dump gods have smiled upon all of us! This is part one of our interview with the legendary Vanessa “Daisy” de la Hoya, yes, Daisy from DAISY OF LOVE and ROCK OF LOVE. This is a true glimpse into the world of some of the most notorious reality television of all time. As Daisy, Vanessa moved to LA specifically to be on Rock of Love season two.  Her charm, humor, and honesty landed her her very o...

Our latest special guest is Jeff Uncapher, an accomplished reality tv producer and director with hundreds of episodes worth of credits under his belt. Jeff specializes in home renovation shows which is a realm of reality tv we have yet to dive into on this show. There’s a lot more to it than just fixing houses, there’s also grizzly bears, on site accidents, and deep personal connections to the fol...

The term “found footage” gets thrown around a lot within the world of media nerddom but our pal Bret Berg is definitely an authority on the subject. Bret and Ryan discuss the many facets of the world of found footage and niche media in general. *this was originally a patreon exclusive but we decided to make it available for all dumpers!

While the entertainer that came to be known solely as “Gallagher” made his name smashing watermelons, he was actually a fully developed comedic powerhouse, until he wasn’t. Gallagher’s signature bit overshadowed much of his other work, which was, in reality, about 95% of what he did on stage. On this episode we breakdown how a silly melon smashing jester became the target of harsh criticism who wa...

Scot Sothern is a true outlaw artist. Sothern made his name by photographing society’s most looked down upon, particularly, street prostitutes. Never exploitative and always humanizing, Scot’s work truly shines a light on the dark corners of the city of Los Angeles. His book “Curb Service” is one of Ryan’s all time favorites and his new book “Look at Me” i...

For this incredibly bleak dump Ryan is joined by comedian and smoker Ian Fidance to discuss the backwards world of anti-smoking ads. Big Tobacco has a long history of questionable advertising but none more questionable than their “youth prevention” programs. How does one advertise how bad a product is while simultaneously advertising how cool that product is? Tune in to find out!

It had to happen, we had to cover one of the most infamous internet figures of all time, Harambe. Join us as we discover how a tragic day at the zoo became the stuff of internet legends for years to come. Ryan is joined by James Ford to discuss the brief, yet impactful history of the most memeable gorilla of all time.

Following the fall out of 9/11, America turned its guns toward Afghanistan and Iraq. France, a long time ally, did not sanction or support the US’s interest in fighting Iraq and Saddam Hussein. In an effort of Bush era lunacy, Americans started renaming French Fries in “Freedom Fries.” In an act of Patriotic fervor, the trend of Freedom Fries quickly took hold. In true dump fashi...

Chyna was and is the most recognizable woman in professional wrestling, but she was so much more than that! Chyna aka Joanie showed us that women can be strong, intimidating, and entertaining, The story of Chyna teaches us many things, things we should have known years ago… Maybe through hearing her story we will finally appreciate what we had, and what we lost.

Fabio is a manly man! His luscious long hair and Italian accent made him a sex symbol of the 90s. But what did Fabio even do? Handsome as he was, there was something very silly and funny about Fabio’s appearance. He was the winking joke for the “bored housewife” who dreamed on a shirtless man on the beach to take her away from suburban life. His benign ubiquity and iconic look ma...

What was initially promoted as a therapeutic device for kids and adults alike quickly became one of the world’s biggest distractions. Fidget spinners burst onto the scene in 2017 but the history of the stupid little toy stretches back over 20 years before that. This is a classic story of a small idea being misappropriated in a big way. 

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On this very special edition of Culture Dumps Ryan sits down with Leroy Patterson aka The Human Tackboard to discuss backyard wrestling, death match wrestling, extreme videos of the late 90’s and early 00’s, and most importantly, his appearance on the 2000 episode of MTV True Life I am a Backyard Wrestler.

You asked for it, we are dumping it. The McRib is one of the most divisive sandwiches of all time, but why? Furthermore, where did it come from? Why did it come from? And just what in the hell is it made of? Ryan is joined by Eric D of Methsyndicate to find out! 

For the final dump of 2023 we are uncovering the story of one of the biggest and worst nerds in history, Ben Stein. Ben cut his teeth as an economist and professor, not to mention presidential speech writer, but what he is best known for is his strange and surprisingly consistent acting career. Through bit parts, spokesperson gigs, and finally,  his time as an emmy award winning game show host, Be...