The Coaster101 Podcast

Last week on social media, we asked our audience the question "What is your most unpopular controversial theme park hot take?" Spoiler alert: The responses didn't disappoint. While there were too many to cover in one episode (or even multiple episodes), we decided to discuss a few of these hot takes on the Coaster101 Podcast. The takes were so hot that we had to break it up into two episodes! This...

The 2021 Offseason was an interesting one at Dollywood. Not only did Lightning Rod become the first RMC coaster to get "RMC'd," but Mystery Mine received some track work as well. And what about that new Mountain Coaster Go-Kart contraption at Rowdy Bear Ridge? We cover it all on this week's episode of the Coaster101 Podcast. Andrew is joined by C101 team members John, Kyle and Nick, who all visite...

There are history books about many theme parks out there, but for some reason, there were none written about Kings Island. This was realized by Kings Island merchandise associate and high school student Evan Ponstingle when park guests asked if there were any books about the history of Kings Island. He decided to change that. This week on the podcast, we interview Evan about his new book; Kings Is...

This week on the podcast we're joined by Justin Mabry and Clay Bradshaw, the creative forces behind JM Music Design, a company who has helped produce shows like Mix It Up and Monster Stomp at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Brew Beatz and Busker Jam at Carowinds. We chat with the dynamic duo about the creation process of live theme park entertainment, how they got their start in the industry, the c...

Falcon's Creative Group is a company who is frequently on the cutting-edge of the attractions industry. Known for their media for ride films like Curse of DarKastle and Battle for Eire at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and other immersive themed experiences for National Geographic, Falcon's continues to innovate and push the limits of themed entertainment. This week on the Coaster101 podcast, we're j...

Recently, we had the opportunity to connect with industry veteran and creative director in themed entertainment, Zane Jensch, about his new podcast, the D&D-Ticket. This "Dungeons and Dragons"-style boozy game night features theme park creatives coming up with a theme park attraction that will likely never get built. We recently interviewed Zane on Coaster101.com, but there were so many good s...

When thinking about the "Power Players" in the roller coaster world, Zamperla isn't typically a name that most people think of first. It's Adam Sandy's goal to change that. This week on the Coaster101 podcast, Andrew and Nick are joined by Adam to talk about his career as a "Roller Coaster Sales Guy" and some of the projects that Zamperla has up their collective sleeves in the coming months. Spoil...

This week on the Coaster101 podcast, we're joined by some of the team from the recently announced Themed Experience TV: Industry veterans Patrick Kling, Andy Garfield, Cynthia Sharpe, and TETV Producer Rachel Nakamura. Learn more about how their "pandemic project" of live streaming has become a full blown online network from themed entertainment creatives, their plans for the future, and how you c...

It's not every day that we get verified follows on Twitter. To be honest, a lot of notable people aren't ready to let their theme park fandom fly so openly. One of those such follows came from @DramaKingMatt , Matt Rehwoldt. Professional Wrestling fans may know Matt better from his timein WWE when he performed under the ring name of Aiden English. Matt got interested in theme parks and roller coas...

This week we've got part 2 of our interview with veteran theme park designer Dave Cobb! In Part 1 we got into his work with Universal, and now we're moving on to his more recent projects, including a brief stint at Paramount, and then nearly 13 years at the Thinkwell Group. Maybe the biggest project in all of that was the design of Warner Bros World in Abu Dhabi, a giant indoor theme park. We also...

This week we're joined by the amazing Dave Cobb, a 30+ year veteran of the themed attraction design industry. Dave is probably best known among Theme Park lovers for being the Creative Director behind Men in Black: Alien Attack at Universal Studios Florida, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2020. This week we talk to Dave about his start in the industry, his early work on things like Back t...

For the next few weeks, we're going to focus on interviews of people, both in and out of the industry, with the key linking factor that they have great stories to tell! We're back this week with another fantastic interview subject, Seth Kubersky, author of the Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando 2021! Seth has more than 20 years experience in the theme park realm, and actually got his start in h...

We're deep in the recesses of the regional park off-season, which means that news is few and far between, save for park opening dates and the occasional raptors being placed at VelociCoaster. For the next few weeks, we're going to focus on interviews of people, both in and out of the industry, with the key linking factor that they have great stories to tell! First up, this week, John is joined by...

While we love roller coasters, we also feel that Dark Rides are among the most underappreciated and underrated theme park experiences out there, and of course, we have a a long list of favorites! This week, join Andrew, Shane and John as we talk about our favorite dark rides, from the simple classics of Disney parks, to more modern versions, and a good focus on interactive dark rides! (Is it fair...

One thing we wanted to focus on with The Coaster101 Podcast in 2021 is increasing listener interaction. So, when no one really wanted to send us questions to read at the top of the show, we decided to turn it into a contest. Simple prompt: Ask us a question. Our favorite wins a prize! This week, join Andrew, Nick, Shane and John as they tackle a wide variety of listener questions ranging from thou...

Happy New Year! Now that 2020 is behind us, it means its time to start riding some new-for-2021 rides! This week, join Andrew, Shane, John and Nick as they discuss some of the most anticipated coasters in the United States, opening in the new year! Whether they were originally planned for last year, or announced last year and will open in 2021, we've got you covered with our picks for some of our...

Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? For a majority of 2020, the answer to that question is "probably." But for the Coaster101 team, 2020 was actually a fairly enjoyable year for theme parks and roller coasters, despite a lot of trips being postponed and cancelled. This week, join Andrew, Shane, John and Nick as they recount their various 2020's worth of roller coasters an...

Breaking News: Andrew visited a park in 2020 -- well, actually two of them. Join John and Andrew this week as we chat about Andrew's trips to Taste of the Season at Carowinds and Kings Dominion! We talk Tastes, Shows, Roller Coasters, and Christmas Lights. And realistically, what else will you listen to while traveling to your relatives' at the end of the week? You can learn more about Andrew's tr...

This week, join Andrew, Shane and John as they discuss the finer intricacies of their favorite inverted coasters from Swiss Designers Bolliger & Mabillard? How many have they ridden? What's their favorite? Why doesn't every row have a "big boy" seat? Find out this and more! What's your favorite B&M Invert? Let us know by emailing us at podcast@coaster101.com or hitting us up on social medi...

Lightning Rod at Dollywood has had a rough operational history. The highly rated launched wooden coaster closed in September for the rest of the 2020 season. The rumors have been flying but Coaster101 got the scoop on what's going on with Lightning Rod. We also talk some of the recent events at Dollywood including Harvest Festival, Thrills in the Hills, and Smoky Mountain Christmas. Questions or c...

A large portion of our audience probably consider themselves "coaster enthusiasts," but for any "GP" who may be listening to this show, we tried to break down some common enthusiast lingo so you can tell your SBNO from your OTSR, and your LROTN from your FROTD. Did we miss any terms? Help contribute to Part 2 by emailing us at podcast@coaster101.com or hitting us up on social media @Coaster101: Fa...

Universal recently released a teaser video and a bunch of photos of their new park under construction outisde of Beijing China! We break down the different lands and all the new rides we're most excited about and most confused about (Waterworld is the answer to both of those questions). If you want more info check out our full post here: https://c101.co/2FJSb0e . You can also see all the all the c...

This week on the podcast we're joined by a very special guest: Theme Park journalist extraordinaire Carlye Wisel! Carlye has written about theme parks for publications as wide ranging as Travel & Leisure, Eater, and SyFy, and this past summer started her own podcast called Very Amusing with Carlye Wisel. If you've ever wanted to learn all kinds of things about how Disney and Universal theme pa...

Coaster101 founder John Stevenson just got back from a 4 day trip to Walt Disney World, the first time any of us have been to the resort since it reopened. So this week John joins us to talk about his experience at the four parks. We get into what was good, what was less good, and how to cope with failing to get a Rise of the Resistance Boarding group (Eric and Andrew tried not to rub it in too mu...

We're going hyper regional on the podcast this week! Shane recently visited Quassy Amusement Park up in his neck of the woods, so on this episode Andrew gets a rundown of what Quassy is all about. We also answer a few listener questions. If you're a Quassy fan let us know your favorite things about the park. And let us know what other small regional parks you want us to talk about more on the podc...