The Brain Candy Podcast

Susie watched the Nyad documentary and was inspired, but also was wondering, what makes her different from our friend in the hamster wheel who tried to cross the ocean. Not much. We discuss the woman who completed the 200 mile ultramarathon and described the mental trick she uses to do it called the "pain cave." Are these people self-centered or amazing athletes (or both??). We learn about the man...

Sarah talks about the history of babysitting, how it's changed, and why it's a thing of the past. Another sinkhole opened up, and this time it swallowed a man in his bed, and now we're traumatized. Sarah is playing video games that act as amazing couples therapy. A preposition with which you end a sentence can now be a preposition you end a sentence with! We discuss how the political identities of...

We discuss the Quiet on Set docuseries recounting the toxicity of Nickelodeon productions in the 90s, the difficulties of child stardom, and why show business lends itself to exploitation. We talk about the totally normal and not suspicious death of the Boeing whistleblower who was testifying against them and why the high road might not be worth the risk. The "man in the iron lung" died recently,...

The theme of today's episode is "it's not the crime, it's the cover-up,' and we're looking at you Kate Middleton. A hotel had a "chef created" room service menu, but it turns out the chef was Trader Joe. Some cities want Spring Breakers to buzz off, and we don't blame them. Sarah explains why Johnny taking all the money on the Rivals 3 Challenge changed her relationship to money. We debate whether...

We start with a rummage through the old mail bag with some feedback from listeners about recent episodes. Yikes. We hear why some people think Over the Rainbow was plagiarized, but others think it's similarities are a coincidence. We discuss some famous musical thefts and how all the songs have been written. We learn about the old Hollywood star, Rock Hudson, his life in the closet, death from AID...

We discuss Ruby Franke, a parenting influencer who was convicted of child abuse, which is a reminder to keep in mind that influencers aren't always what they seem. We learn why the recent moon landing didn't go as planned, and despite our complete lack of understanding about aeronautics, physics, and rocket science, we think we could've done better. We hear about recent changes to sports uniforms...

Susie is suddenly interested in WWE wrestling and wants to know why they aren't clear about whether it's real or not. But the Dark Side of the Ring docuseries has her wondering if there's a NOT dark side of the sport. Sarah had a bad operatic experience, and she's wondering if the best part of the genre is the costumes. We discuss the Where is Wendy Willams documentary, and how the gossiper became...

People are suing dating apps for trapping them in a loop of doom dating instead of helping them find love. Sarah describes a newly viral phrase called Rebecca Syndrome that refers to retroactive jealousy towards your partner's exes, and she is mad that people are stigmatizing and stereotyping with its use. We discuss the ways culture has been flattened by digital media and young people are reduced...

Sarah was denied entry to a museum and we are fascinated by the reason. The birding community is psyched out of their mind about a bird that was thought to be extinct reappearing. Susie talks about the McMillions docuseries, which covers the McDonald's Monopoly game scandal and how the people who "won" ended up being the losers. We learn about the Franciscan friar who became the Vatican's "AI guy,...

We are celebrating the stingray who became pregnant without a male partner in her tank, and decide intersex folx are pretty much superheroes. Andrew Keegan would like to set the record straight about being a cult leader, and wants us to know he's a hippie not a religious zealot. A teacher sold his students's artwork, and now the parents are taking him to court. Susie and Sarah realized they both p...

Have you ever wondered what space smells like? Well, we have the answer, and it makes no sense. We hear why Guy Fieri has infiltrated the skiing world (at long last). We debate whether the lottery should pay a man for an invalid ticket and Sarah explains why she can't handle the emotional quagmire of "scratchers." We discuss the documentary They Called Him Mostly Harmless and how we are baffled by...

Remember when we were optimistic? Well, we do, so Sarah wanted to find out what makes some people optimistic. Susie thinks she's a realist, but that might be code for "pessimistic." But Susie and Sarah have a crazy role reversal today, and we're wondering if Sarah is becoming less emotive in her menopausal era. We learn why some countries are passing laws to help people get out of work. Susie is w...

Sarah is in her cranky era since she's dealing with her menopausal symptoms. Susie gives Wil Wheaton a real earful about his ridiculous rant about Larry David's recent bit on a morning show with Elmo. We mourn the loss of Sarah Rice (not our Sarah Rice, a different one). Susie shares the story of Apollo 13 including the reason their mission to the moon was ill-fated, some old gossip about the crew...

Sarah shares some of the things she watched during her recovery and what kinds of things she found soothing (and relatable). We discuss American Nightmare, a documentary that describes the abduction of a woman that the media and law enforcement concluded was a hoax that was actually not, and how these mistakes can happen due to problems in the system and human psychology. We hear why the group Ins...

Sarah makes her triumphant return to today's show, and we are so glad she's on the mend. We hear some of the details form her surgery and recovery and what she learned through it all. She describes how she feels like she's a wise old woman now and suddenly has a new food obsession. We learn what her happy place looks like and how it was inspired by her childhood. We discuss the ways that people fi...

We have a guest co-host today and it's one of Susie's infamous "lezes"! Kelly fills in for Sarah as she heals from her surgery. We discuss the documentary Chowchilla, which is about 26 children who were abducted from a school bus and how their experience changed the way we see childhood trauma and raises questions about justice. We debate whether a man who opened a plane's emergency door and walke...

Sarah shares the science on puberty and the reasons people are experiencing it earlier. We hear how Billie Jean King intervened in women's hockey and helped it succeed. Sarah discusses the popularity of Stanley tumblers and how they became the "must have" items for women, but Susie reveals how despite women being the engine behind their success, a man is getting all the credit. Sarah admits to how...

It's Sarah's birthday month and she wants you to know about it, but not think of her as one of those 'birthday month" kind of gals. We discuss the Subject documentary, which chronicles the consequences and benefits of appearing in a documentary, and we debate whether documentary subjects should be paid or not. We learn why ESPN was caught up in a Emmy scandal, and how it confirms that the same peo...

Sarah is keeping her 2024 resolution of stretching, but she doesn't want you to get any ideas, she is not going to be doing "the splits" or even a split for that matter. That would be too much of a good thing. We are wound up about method actors and the fact that it is a quirk reserved for white, male actors. If you ever wondered why there are no skeletons in the Titanic, Sarah's got the answer. W...

Sarah is still a heckler magnet, and she had to endure another one again. We debate the virtues of crowd work comedians vs. traditional sets. Susie talks about a documentary that features a child predator who admits their crimes. We discuss why these people often don't admit the harm they do to others. A silk dress from the 1800s had a secret code in its pocket and, after many years of lots of peo...

Sarah is all worked up over a movie she watched that made her want to take on the world and beat her boyfriend in a swimming competition. But it made us wonder what makes one person's persistence in sports inspiring and another person's doggedness seem like an addiction. We are starting to think Chat-GPT might actually be too woke after it tried to avoid explaining a fact about women that was less...

We find out how Sarah's "stretching" theme is going so far, and Susie annouces her 2024 theme at long last, and it's a goodie! We learn how Sarah provided the opportunity for Susie to test the theme for the first time. We discuss the "reform" camps people were sending their delinquent children to in the 80s and 90s, and debate whether the people who ran them had good intentions or not. We learn ho...

Sarah explains the difference between pleasure and enjoyment and why she's hoping for way more of the latter this year. Sarah has inexplicably started using baby language and Susie thinks she needs a pet--cat lady coming through. We discuss the benefits and downfalls of "gendered" spaces and whether there is a need for a male and female exclusive activities including for universities and organizat...

Susie is still deciding on her 2024 theme, but she does have some goals picked, and they are hilarious. Let's just say she is doing some serious research about one hit wonders, and has some big musical plans. We discuss the cultural phenomenon of the "dingo took my baby," where it came from, and what it really meant. Turns out that global joke came from a tragic story that kept getting worse the m...

Zoos are at it again, and this time it's a "sexy" gorilla causing a stir. Allegedly, this gorilla is so darn handsome that zoo admissions have skyrocketed, but we aren't so sure it's just ladies that are flocking to see him. We learn the definition of a "vibe pope" and Sarah explains why she thinks Susie is one. If it's anything like a real pope, that's going to be a lot pressure, so we'll see how...