The Brain Candy Podcast

We did it! 1,000 episodes! Today we celebrate our achievement by talking about a scandal on Mt. Everest where we don't even know who the villain is. We find out what an everyday superpower is and we discuss what ours are. We learn about the woman who created the star categorization system that is still used. We hear why some people are getting exposed for their non-Christian attitudes through thei...

Sarah won't quit talking about horses, and her love for them, but she explains why it turns out, we're not really meant to ride them. We hear about the quadruple amputee who is accused of committing murder, but wait, there's more, he's also a cornhole champion. He's full of surprises! Susie hooked on bowling ever since she got her own ball, and now she's watching the HBO docuseries, Born to Bowl....

We learn about a lawsuit a Lion King songwriter filed against a comedian for "misrepresenting" his song that made us furious. We delight in the defamation trial of one-hit-wonder and national treasure, Afroman, where he made fools of the police who wrongfully searched his home and destroyed his property. Sarah is watching the Age of Attraction dating reality show, which claims to fight against dat...

Today we learn what happens to your body when you're struck by lightning, why some people don't feel anything, and why many victims believe they are human lightning rods. We find out about the one Minnesota town that is not on Google Earth, the reason they don't want to be included, and why we think they're hypocrites. We find out why some sick people who defy their terminal prognosis are mad when...

We have a new sound effect--so brace yourself! We learn about an artist who stole the top one inch from a mountain summit, and we have to debate whether we hate the artist or the mountain climbers who are mad at him. Sarah shares why her new hobby is her destiny, and she is going full-hog into her equine lifestyle. Sarah explains the concept of an "alpine divorce," why she's experienced it many ti...

Sarah had a near-death experience. Well, she had an experience. And we find out why a shopping cart became a sign to change her plans. We learn what her new hobby is, and why Susie is hoping it's less snobby and "white privilege" forward than snowboarding and skiing. Susie played Scattergories and would like the Brainiac community to settle a debate with her opponent. We discuss the Louis Theroux:...

Sarah tapped into her Horse Girl history during her vacation in Costa Rica. Hear about an AirBnB lawsuit where a man having an affair got caught because of his host's review. We get some very bleak news about Gen Z men/boys, why they're more misogynistic than older generations, and what we think is going to happen. We find out how men's stripper spending habits can predict a bad economy before eco...

Don't forget to come celebrate our 1000th episode with us because it's gonna be incredible! We learn about an online community that helps fish get to their spawning locations by ringing a "doorbell" that alerts locals to let them through a lock. We find out if chimps love crystals as much as people, and scientists theory for why humans are drawn to them. We discuss Punch the chimp who has been red...

Our girl Sarah was a good citizen and performed her civic duty of jury duty, so we hear about all the insanity, nonsense, and protocol she went through just to perform the thankless task of justice. Plus, she had a post-birthday snowboarding experience with a bunch of ladies, and she is riding the high of powder playtime. We hear why friction gets a bad rap when it's actually important to survival...

Susie explains why nearly every human uses a blanket while other animals don't. We discuss the documentary Murder in Glitterball City about a gay couple accused of murdering a man and the ways kink and drugs obscured the crime. We find out why the Sistine Chapel is restoring Michelangelo's The Final Judgement and removing salt from the piece. Susie explains what a crisis manager claims are the key...

Sarah's mom had to have surgery, and we find out how one of our recent episodes could've prevented this unfortunate incident. Let's just say: plank at your own risk. A man decided to do an entire marathon doing lunges instead of running like a normal person, and, spoiler alert, it didn't go well. Sarah talks about two ladies who got locked into a Scottish castle overnight. Susie has breaking seria...

Sarah and Susie are participating in an unconventional macabre game when they predict which celebrities will die this year, but Sarah argues it's a "celebration of life." We debate the Tourette's Syndrome scandal at the BAFTAs and consider what the appropriate way to handle it was. Susie shares a story of a woman who's AI chatbot started claiming she would meet her soulmate at a particular time an...

Is love truly blind? Just ask the Love is Blind contestant who accidentally glued her eyeball shut (we're not laughing, you are). Today, we're celebrating Sarah's birthday by hoping she gets to do what she loves most, sneaking food into the cinema. We also vent about a torturous hike ruined by unprompted motivational speeches from men on the trail. Then, we get into the science of attraction. Thin...

Lordy, lordy, Sarah is almost 40! In this episode, Susie shares a wild story she heard about the OJ Simpson case that has her questioning everything. We also dive into the America's Next Top Model documentary. As two women with reality TV backgrounds, we found it triggering, and discuss why people get so offended when we share negative experiences from our time on MTV. From the chaos of TV to the...

Is Sarah the victim of a "brushing scam," or does she have a secret admirer living down the street? This week, we are playing detective to solve the Amazon mystery box riddle. Sarah received a random assortment of items that suggests she either has a stalker or a crafting soulmate she hasn't met yet. Meanwhile, Susie learns the hard way that Facebook Marketplace is a lawless wasteland after a "por...

We are officially living the "O-head" Olympic lifestyle, but the podium isn’t all glory. This week, we’re debating Lindsey Vonn’s controversial decision to compete on a torn ACL. Was it a display of heart, or did she rob a healthy athlete of their shot at gold? Plus, we break down the most unhinged post-race interview in history: a Norwegian bronze medalist who decided a global broadcast was the p...

Love is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches, but while Sarah and Amy are navigating a new romantic milestone, Susie is mostly just finding the whole shift deeply annoying. The duo dives into the social dynamics of the season by dissecting the functional differences between friendship and community, exploring why we need both even if they serve wildly different purposes in our lives. The conve...

On this episode of The Brain Candy Podcast, Sarah Rice and Susie Meister discuss the viral scientific study regarding LEGO digestion. We explore the pediatric research that determined exactly how long it takes for a swallowed LEGO brick to pass through the digestive system and the hilarious acronym scientists created for the process. The conversation then shifts to the rise and fall of 90s fitness...

Is Alex Honnold a "bad dad" for scaling the Taipei skyscraper? Susie and Sarah react to his latest feat and debate where the line is between bravery and recklessness. In this episode, Sarah also reveals her secrets to becoming an all-time Yogurtland champion, including how to maximize toppings to get the absolute most bang for your buck. We also dive into some wild science news: what scurvy actual...

We discuss the Elizabeth Smart documentary about her kidnapping and miraculous rescue, and the complicated nature of healing from that trauma. We learn about a graduate student who was offended when people in the department asked him to stop microwaving his "pungent" food, so he sued the school claiming he was discriminated against. We talk about the people who created a secret apartment in the ma...

Sarah is all hot and bothered for the "gay hockey show," Heated Rivalry, and she explains why lesbians would enjoy male on male heat. Susie is all wound up about something totally different: umbrellas. To each their own. We learn about a practice that was created in the 1980s where people dying of AIDS would sell their life insurance policies to investors, and we debate the ethics of betting on so...

Sarah and Susie are reuniting in Denver again, and they are psyched. Sarah is talking about life hack's she's trying in the new year. So what, who cares. Sarah claims there are five "approved" lesbian haircuts and we learn what they are. There is some special nail polish that is going viral that is supposed to allow you to color coordinate by changing the color magically, but it ends up looking in...

Sarah's outdoor adventures never stop, and this time she ended up in a ski parade! While Susie has resorted to wearing heated apparel inside. Susie shares the story of Andrea Yates, the woman who killed her five children, and the religious beliefs that made her think she should. Susie is worked up about how grandparents now insist on being called all kinds of weird names and Sarah's got a theory a...

Sarah has a new guilty pleasure called Members Only, but she says it's more like Real Housewives of Mar-a-Lago. We hear why she is fascinated by these ladies (and their clothing). We debate the virtues of changing your last name when you get married, and how certificates and diplomas should be amendable if you change your name. We learn the benefits of pet ownership according to science, and wheth...

We're already getting all emotional about coming up on our 1000th episode, and enjoying the fact that all the naysayers were wrong about us being a "showmance." Susie watched the Chevy Chase documentary, and was hoping to find out if he is in fact the a-hole he is often accused of being. Spoiler: he kind of is. We discuss some big news in psychology research, and it turns out maybe everything we t...