The Truth Behind Weird Fitness Ads | Quick Question Ep. 320

Comedy fellas Soren Bowie and Daniel O'Brien descend into a rabbit hole so deep we're not sure there's a bottom. Lover of advertising Daniel O'Brien, tired of seeing his feeds inundated with uncanny, AI-generated fitness ads featuring shirtless men with inconsistent accents, walks Soren through a labyrinth of gaslighting chatbots, impossible refund policies, and YouTube channels that might not employ a single human being. It's a sordid behind-the-scenes look at the future of content creation, framed by a nostalgic look back at their days at Demand Media and the Cassandra algorithm.To explore coverage, visit ASPCApetinsurance.com/QUESTION.  The ASPCA is not an insurer and is not engaged in the business of insurance.Apply today in just minutes at meetfabric.com/QQ. Policies issued by Western-Southern Life Assurance Company. Not available in certain states. Prices subject to underwriting and health questions.Go to ButcherBox.com/QQ for $20 off, free shipping always, and choose organic ground beef, chicken breast or ground turkey in every box for a year, new subscribers only. Follow the guys on Bluesky!https://bsky.app/profile/danielobrien.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/sorenbowie.bsky.socialBonus episodes 2x/month at patreon.com/quickquestion OR Apple Podcasts

Two Best Friends and Comedy Writers Soren Bowie & Daniel O'Brien present a passionate defense of Chris Pine as a methed-out white nationalist in Smoking Aces while mourning Toby Kebbell's lost stardom after RocknRolla. Along the way: James Austin Johnson's Trump impression has shades of Ferrell's W; the revelation that Gilbert Godfrey's entire persona was a put-on; why Sebastian Maniscalco's choreographed segues make zero logical sense and the quiet devastation of realizing Oscar season has become a conveyor belt of biopics about men who solved being alive by blowing their brains out. You'll leave armed with warm feelings for Ben Foster, Nicole Kidman, and Michael Stuhlbarg's monologue supremacy. They say honey, turn the television on—but you can't, because there was no wind. Thanks to Butcherbox for sponsoring this episode. Go to ButcherBox.com/QQ for $20 off, free shipping always, and choose organic ground beef, chicken breast or ground turkey in every box for a year, new subscribers only.Follow the guys on Bluesky!https://bsky.app/profile/danielobrien.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/sorenbowie.bsky.socialBonus episodes 2x/month at patreon.com/quickquestion OR Apple Podcasts

This week, Daniel and Soren explore why every legendary composer is essentially a high-level shoplifter, stealing from the same three dead guys who actually knew how to write a melody. We also discuss why the "one in the glasses" is a genius, the specific humiliation of pitching jokes in the Fred voice, and why the most important skill for a professional writer is the ability to produce absolute garbage on purpose.Plus: Soren defends his hollow bird-bones, Daniel avoids an NDA, and we try to figure out why no one in a book can name a fictional band that doesn't sound like a hate crime.Thanks to Factor for sponsoring this episode. FACTORMEALS.com/qq50off and use code qq50off for 50% off your 1st Factor box + free breakfast for 1 year. Offer only valid for new Factor customers with code and qualifying auto-renewing subscription purchase.Thanks to ASPCA Pet Health for sponsoring this episode. To explore coverage, visit ASPCApetinsurance.com/QUESTION.  The ASPCA is not an insurer and is not engaged in the business of insurance.Chapters00:00 The "Pecan Sandies" On-Ramp03:09 The Fred Movie & Professional Humiliation08:31 Heated Rivalry: Soren Doubles Down13:00 A Quick Question: Movie Scores on the Radio15:45 Hans Zimmer vs. 1536 Classical Music18:58 John Williams and the "Genius" of Shoplifting24:20 Jon Brion and Piano-Forward Comfort31:34 Searching for the "Internal Control+F"34:10 Why Fictional Bands Always Have Terrible Names39:40 Soren’s Hollow Bird-Bones41:40 The Generation of Movement: Teaching Kids to Jump45:30 Roller Skating, Moonwalking, and Golf51:19 The Professional Craft of Writing "Shitty" Drafts57:01 Ripping it Down to the Studs01:01:17 The Toy Story 3 MasterclassFollow the guys on Bluesky!https://bsky.app/profile/danielobrien.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/sorenbowie.bsky.socialBonus episodes 2x/month at patreon.com/quickquestion OR Apple Podcasts

The Golden Globes have a Best Podcast now, which leads Daniel and Soren down a familiar path: awards, legitimacy, and how culture decides what counts.Along the way, they run headfirst into Heated Rivalry—a show that appears to offer exactly one thing, and yet has somehow escaped its niche and entered polite conversation. Parents are recommending it. Everyone is recommending it. No one is being subtle.Why does some extremely horny media stay contained, while other extremely horny media becomes prestige? And what does that say about taste, awards, and what we’re all suddenly very comfortable talking about?Also: Traitors. A show for people with no hearts.00:54 – Welcome Back / Who’s the Real Host?01:36 – Hypothetical Awards, Hypothetical Fights03:12 – The Golden Globes Now Have a Podcast Category04:41 – How Awards Actually Work (Campaigns, Money, Politics)07:23 – Emmy Swag, Billboards, and the Dropout Problem09:40 – Why American Dad Never Wins Anything11:55 – Quick Question: Are You Watching Heated Rivalry?12:49 – When a Show Breaks Containment14:24 – Expectation vs. Reality: Is It Even About Hockey?16:07 – “It’s Just Sex”: The Erotic Fiction Problem19:22 – Romance Novels and Narrative Foreplay22:00 – Bad Texting, Bad Dialogue, Bad Screens26:14 – Why Is Everyone Publicly This Horny?28:02 – Is This the New Bridgerton?29:00 – Who Is This Show For?31:06 – Hockey Bodies, Old Navy Vibes32:27 – Locker Rooms vs. TV Locker Rooms35:23 – Pivot: What Is Traitors?36:39 – How the Game Actually Works39:26 – Why Normal People Failed Season One40:50 – The Strategy of Being a Traitor44:56 – Board Games, Lying, and Emotional Fallout49:42 – Three-Hour Round Tables (and Crushing Guilt)51:59 – When Banishing a Faithful Feels Correct Anyway53:25 – How to Fix Traitors (Among Us, Live Edition)55:36 – The Conga Line Murder56:24 – Reality TV Pacing Is Still Brutal57:53 – Why Heated Rivalry Can Only Be Sex59:03 – Closing & ThanksThanks to Fabric for sponsoring. Apply today in just minutes at meetfabric.com/QQ. Policies issued by Western-Southern Life Assurance Company. Not available in certain states. Prices subject to underwriting and health questions. Thanks to Mint Mobile for sponsoring. Make the switch! MINTMOBILE.com/QQ Thanks to Shopify for sponsoring. Sign up for a $1/month trial period at shopify.com/qq Thanks to Butcher Box for sponsoring. Go to ButcherBox.com/QQ for $20 off, free shipping always, and choose filet mignon, ny strip or chicken breast in every box for a year, new subscribers only.Follow the guys on Bluesky!https://bsky.app/profile/danielobrien.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/sorenbowie.bsky.socialBonus episodes 2x/month at patreon.com/quickquestion OR Apple Podcasts

Daniel is fresh off an infant care class and a CPR certification, which leads to a wide-ranging conversation about how much preparation actually sticks when it matters. He and Soren talk swaddling, baby hygiene, circumcision care, and the unsettling reality that newborns are basically loose bags of milk. From there, things spiral into CPR etiquette, AED myths, corporate training videos, and the strange urge to do crowd work during emergency situations. Along the way, Soren recounts helping a lost child at a holiday light show—and the unexpectedly ambiguous text exchange that followed—while both hosts grapple with the question of when to step in, when to back away, and how anyone is supposed to know what to do in a crisis.Thanks to ASPCA. To explore coverage, visit ASPCApetinsurance.com/QUESTION. The ASPCA is not an insurer and is not engaged in the business of insurance.Thanks to ButcherBox. Go to ButcherBox.com/QQ for $20 off, free shipping always, and choose filet mignon, ny strip or chicken breast in every box for a year, new subscribers only.Follow the guys on Bluesky!https://bsky.app/profile/danielobrien.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/sorenbowie.bsky.socialBonus episodes 2x/month at patreon.com/quickquestion OR Apple Podcasts

The guys talk Stranger Things Season 5, do the bleak math of middle-aged drinking, and the perverse little happiness spike that follows a truly harrowing puke. Speaking of puke,  the guys discuss the sacred childhood joy of sick-day daytime TV (Judge Judy supremacy, soap operas as emotional concrete) and finally, Daniel and Soren spiral into TV industry doom: Netflix getting into the podcast game, prestige TV existing only as a side quest for tech companies, and the impossible task of ending a beloved show without stepping on an internet landmine—aka Finale School. 00:00 Introduction and Podcast Dynamics02:32 Reflections on Aging and Drinking05:22 Hangover Remedies and Personal Experiences08:16 The Nature of Vomiting and Its Aftermath11:06 Parenting and Children’s Fear of Vomiting14:00 Nostalgia for Childhood Illness and Daytime TV17:35 Soap Operas and Acting Experiences26:28 The Unique Challenges of Soap Opera Acting33:33 The Evolution of Television and Soap Operas40:43 The State of Modern Television51:52 The Art of Writing and Ending a SeriesThanks to Rocket Money for sponsoring. RocketMoney.com/qq. Reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money.Thanks to Fabric for sponsoring. Apply today in just minutes at meetfabric.com/QQ. Policies issued by Western-Southern Life Assurance Company. Not available in certain states. Prices subject to underwriting and health questions.Follow the guys on Bluesky!https://bsky.app/profile/danielobrien.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/sorenbowie.bsky.socialBonus episodes 2x/month at patreon.com/quickquestion OR Apple Podcasts

On this episode, Daniel concludes his year-long feud with a New Jersey restaurant regarding false promises of post-race soup. Meanwhile, Soren gets physically trapped inside the trunk of a Chevy Volt while attempting a battery change in the rain. Plus: The dark science of motivating children with stories about drowning mice, proper running hand placement (T-1000 vs. Potato Chip), and the economic impossibility of fairness in arcade prize redemption.Chapters: 0:00 - The history of Cracked books (and the one that failed)04:25 - The Resolution of the Free Soup Saga5:15 - Motivating children with the "Drowning Mice" experiment24:00 - Why we look terrible when running27:50 - Running form: T-1000 vs. Holding a Potato Chip35:00 - The Arcade Fairness Doctrine (Zootopia 2)38:30 - The tragedy of the heart bells47:00 - Soren gets trapped in a Chevy Volt trunk56:00 - Remembering how to fix cars pre-InternetSupport the Show:Patreon: www.patreon.com/quickquestionInstagram: www.instagram.com/qqsorenanddanielCredits: Hosts: Soren Bowie & Daniel O'BrienTheme Song: Me RexProduced By: Gabe HarderAsst. Editor: Liam HarderThanks to Factor for sponsoring this episode. FACTORMEALS.com/qq50off and use code qq50off for 50% off your 1st Factor box + free breakfast for 1 year. Offer only valid for new Factor customers with code and qualifying auto-renewing subscription purchase.Thanks to ASPCA for sponsoring this episode. To explore coverage, visit ASPCApetinsurance.com/QUESTION.  The ASPCA is not an insurer and is not engaged in the business of insurance.Follow the guys on Bluesky!https://bsky.app/profile/danielobrien.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/sorenbowie.bsky.socialBonus episodes 2x/month at patreon.com/quickquestion OR Apple Podcasts

A listener email from Danielle turns into a full-on behind-the-scenes autopsy of visual gags in adult animation: marquee jokes, fake brand names, book titles, and who actually adds what—writers, artists, animators, or a chaotic mix of everyone. Soren breaks down what tends to be scripted versus what often comes from the production/art side.Daniel relates it to his own show’s graphics pipeline, including the infamously over-specified “opposite snakes” ordeal on Last Week Tonight. Plus: the American Dad! theme-song detail Danielle noticed—Roger’s intro disguise being pulled from the writer’s prior episode—and why it’s basically a present from the animation team.Thanks to DripDrop for sponsoring this episode. Get 20% off your first order: dripdrop.com and use promo code qq.Follow the guys on Bluesky!https://bsky.app/profile/danielobrien.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/sorenbowie.bsky.socialBonus episodes 2x/month at patreon.com/quickquestion OR Apple Podcasts

Everyone on the internet is suddenly obsessed with tin fish. Sardines. Anchovies. Baby eels. Luxury cans that cost more than a real dinner. This week, Daniel and Soren try to understand how canned fish became a personality, why British men in fezzes are eating fish spines on camera, and what it says about internet culture when the worst foods get rebranded as delicacies. Along the way: debate videos, reaction content, copied sketches, algorithmic brain rot, and the creeping feeling that the internet might need to be turned off for a few years. We will not be decanting the tin. ----🔗LINKS:Search Engine episode: https://www.searchengine.show/an-anthropology-of-gooning/Daniel Kolitz' piece: https://harpers.org/archive/2025/11/the-goon-squad-daniel-kolitz-porn-masturbation-loneliness/Pablo Torre Finds Out: https://www.pablo.show/p/high-goonTinned Fish Reviews: https://tinnedfishreviews.com/Thanks to Rocket Money for sponsoring this episode. RocketMoney.com/qq. Reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money.Follow the guys on Bluesky!https://bsky.app/profile/danielobrien.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/sorenbowie.bsky.socialBonus episodes 2x/month at patreon.com/quickquestion OR Apple Podcasts

Daniel has been obsessing over the part of Beatles lore where tensions are high, everyone hates each other, and the only thing keeping the world’s most famous band from imploding was… Billy Preston. That launches a full tour through the guys’ own history with morale-saving personalities — the people who walk into a room and immediately make everyone behave, write better, or at least stop threatening to quit.They cover behind-the-scenes moments from Cracked, the sets where one good vibe could salvage a 3AM shoot, the gravitational pull of Sam Richardson, the sorcery of Ben Schwartz, and the peculiar negotiations that happen with network standards when your show involves nudity, violence, or hot dogs with speaking roles.Thanks to DripDrop for sponsoring this episode. Get 20% off your first order: dripdrop.com and use promo code qq. Follow the guys on Bluesky!https://bsky.app/profile/danielobrien.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/sorenbowie.bsky.socialBonus episodes 2x/month at patreon.com/quickquestion OR Apple Podcasts