Step into the virtual world, 90s kids! We’re diving deep into VR Troopers, Saban’s wild, cyber-powered Tokusatsu series that fused martial arts, chrome armor, glitchy CGI, and three different Japanese Metal Hero shows into one unforgettable fever dream.

In this full-length Checkpoint Extra, Nate breaks down Ryan Steele, J.B. Reese, Kaitlin Star, Grimlord’s digital nightmare, the chaotic editing magic behind the scenes, and the emotional story that gave VR Troopers more heart than anyone remembers.

We’re talking:

Fox Kids history

The Metalder / Spielban / Shaider footage fusion

Skugs, Combat Cyborgs, and the most dramatic villain transformation in TV history

90s virtual-reality hype

The legendary toy line & chrome figures

Saban’s strangest production choices

...and why VR Troopers STILL hits harder than it gets credit for.

If you grew up yelling “TROOPER TRANSFORM!”, owned a chrome action figure from Toys “R” Us, or thought virtual reality would take over the world by 2003… this episode is for you.

Welcome back to Cross World City.

Stay gold, Nerd bold!

And please don't forget to rate the show 5 stars and follow for more nostalgia deep dives!

Are world leaders secretly shapeshifting reptilian overlords from another dimension…or just rich, awkward humans who blink weird on camera?

In this episode of CTRL + ALT + DELUSION, join Nate as he dives headfirst into the Lizard People / Reptilian Elite conspiracy theory, the wild idea that politicians, celebrities, and billionaires are actually cold-blooded alien reptiles hiding in human skin suits and feeding on our fear.

We’ll break down:

How ancient serpent gods, dragons, and snake myths evolved into modern “reptilian overlord” lore

The rise of David Icke and how he turned lizard people into a full-blown conspiracy franchise

Why people swear they’ve “caught” politicians and celebrities “shapeshifting” on video (spoiler: compression is not a crime)

The psychology behind believing in reptilian elites: pattern-seeking brains, fear of chaos, loneliness, and that sweet “I know a secret” feeling

A completely unscientific Lizard Watchlist for Thanksgiving: How to survive your relatives, spot “reptile energy,” and stay sane at the dinner table

Why the real villains aren’t lizard people, but misinformation, manipulation, and algorithms that profit off our anxiety

This one’s part comedy roast, part mythology lesson, part group therapy session for anyone who’s ever heard, “You know the government is run by reptiles, right?”

If you like debunking conspiracy theories, understanding why people fall for them, and laughing at the weird corners of the internet, this episode’s for you.

And if this episode made you think, laugh, or just feel a little less alone in the chaos, please rate 5 stars & review The Average Joe Nerdcast, and share it with a friend who loves weird lore and good skepticism.

STAY GOLD, NERD BOLD!!!

Crank up the Fox Kids theme and dust off your Beetle Bonders, this Checkpoint Extra is diving helmet-first into Big Bad Beetleborgs.

Join Nate as he breaks down how Saban went from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to chrome-plated bug armor, haunted mansions, and a ghost with a pompadour named Flabber. We’ll talk how Beetleborgs was born out of the Power Rangers boom, the difference between Super Sentai and Tokusatsu, why Hillhurst Mansion was basically a year-round Halloween special, and how a trio of comic-book kids accidentally unleashed some of the most chaotic villains in 90s TV.

We’ll hit:

Fox Kids, Saban, and the 90s Tokusatsu invasion

Magnavores, Crustaceans, and the Metallix glow-up

Toy-aisle warfare at Toys “R” Us (chrome, baby)

Why Beetleborgs still lives rent-free in our nostalgic little hearts

If you grew up on Power Rangers, VR Troopers, Fox Kids, and cereal-fueled Saturday mornings, this bug-armored fever dream is for you.

Don't forget to rate the show 5 Stars and Subscribe!

Stay Gold, Nerd Bold!

This week we’re rolling up our sleeves (literally) for a deep, hilarious, fact-checked roast of one of the wildest conspiracy mashups of our time:

“Vaccines contain microchips!”

“5G towers control your thoughts!”

“It’s all part of the global mind-control plan!”

Spoiler: It's Not!

This is CTRL + ALT + DELUSION, the second episode in our November series built to help you survive Thanksgiving debates with your conspiracy-loving relatives. From cowpox and Dr. Edward Jenner’s OG anti-vaxxers to the Bill Gates microchip myth and 5G hysteria, we’re tracing the history of vaccine paranoia, debunking the science, and laughing through the madness.

No homework. Just one Average Joe with a mic, a mountain of research, and a tinfoil-clad producer mumbling in the corner.

Topics covered:

• The 1796 origins of anti-vaccine movements

• The 1998 Andrew Wakefield fraud that linked MMR to autism

• How “Bill Gates microchip” and “5G mind control” conspiracies spread online

• The psychology of fear, misinformation, and algorithmic outrage

• Why humor and empathy beat yelling at Thanksgiving dinner

If this episode made you laugh, think, or text your router an apology, rate and review the show wherever you listen. It helps other curious nerds find the lobby. 

Sources & Further Reading:

World Health Organization (WHO) - Vaccine Safety Basics

https://www.who.int/vaccine_safety

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - History of Smallpox Vaccination

https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/history/history.html

BMJ - Retraction: Ileal-Lymphoid-Nodular Hyperplasia, Non-Specific Colitis, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder in Children (The Wakefield Study Retraction)

https://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c7452

Reuters Fact Check - No, COVID-19 Vaccines Don’t Contain Microchips

https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-vaccine-microchip-idUSL1N2N00PJ

Scientific American - How 5G Conspiracy Theories Got Started

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-5g-conspiracy-theories-got-started/

Nature - Nanotechnology in Medicine: What It Actually Means

https://www.nature.com/articles/nnano.2019.158

Pew Research Center - Americans’ Trust in Scientists Has Declined (context for vaccine hesitancy)

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/02/15/americans-trust-in-scientists-has-declined/

STAY GOLD, NERD BOLD!

Sometimes the real conspiracy isn't Big Pharma or The Lizard People...it's your own editing software.

This week's CTRL + ALT + DELUSION episode hit a technical meltdown in post-production, throwing every sound effect into a parallel dimension. So, while Nate wrangles the chaos back into sync, enjoy this quick update on what went wrong, what's coming up next, and how AJN is making sure it never happens again.

No grand plots here, just transparency, a sense of humor, and a reminder that even the best timelines need a reboot.

Please Rate & Review to keep the Nerdcast Signal strong!

“IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME!”

Before the memes, before the morphers, before parents threw elbows in Toys “R” Us aisles, there was a cheap little show stitched together from Japanese monster footage and American teen drama.

And somehow, it worked!

In this Checkpoint Extra, Nate rewinds the click to uncover the wild, warts-and-all story of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers - from Haim Saban’s hotel-room pitch and Fox Kids’ risky greenlight to the chaos of on-set exhaustion, toy mania, and the cultural explosion that shaped an entire generation.

Along the way, we honor the legends who made it more than a show: Thuy Trang, Jason David Frank, and the unsung composer Ron Wasserman, whose guitar riffs still make the Morphin’ Grid hum thirty years later.

So grab your Morpher, cue the sparks, and join Nate for an emotional deep dive into the lightning bolt that changed ‘90s kids television forever.

Featuring:

• Behind-the-scenes stories, interviews, and cast history

• The music of Ron Wasserman and the birth of the most iconic TV theme of the ’90s

• Reflections on the legacy and loss of the original Rangers

• Why Power Rangers still matters…and why it always will

All Power Rangers themes and compositions referenced in this episode are the property of their respective rights holders and are used here under fair-use principles for commentary, education, and review.

Music featured (in order of appearance):

• “Go Go Power Rangers (Main Theme)” - Written and performed by Ron Wasserman (as Aaron Waters) | © 1993 Saban Music Group / BMI

• “Power Rangers Zeo Theme” - Written and performed by Ron Wasserman | © 1996 Saban Music Group / BMI

• “White Ranger Tiger Power” - Written and performed by Ron Wasserman | © 1994 Saban Music Group / BMI

• “Go Green Ranger Go” - Written and performed by Ron Wasserman | © 1994 Saban Music Group / BMI

All original Power Rangers music was produced for Saban Entertainment / Toei Company Ltd.

Current franchise and soundtrack rights are administered by Hasbro / eOne Music Licensing.

PLEASE RATE, REVIEW, and FOLLOW THE SHOW!

STAY GOLD, NERD BOLD!

It’s November, which means two things: turkey season…and arguments with relatives who “did their own research.”

So for the entire month, every Mainline Monday of the Average Joe Nerdcast is going full-tilt conspiracy with a new series: CTRL + ALT + DELUSION - your official pre-Thanksgiving survival kit.

First up: The Flat Earth Conspiracy.

From Victorian chaos gremlins and YouTube “scientists” to ice walls, domes, and merch-slinging influencers, Nate fires up the roast of all roasts - tearing down the world’s dumbest theory with humor, history, and just enough physics to make your uncle choke on his cranberry sauce.

Be sure to Rate, Review, and Follow the show!!

STAY GOLD, NERD BOLD!

Because the Earth’s not flat… but your uncle’s arguments sure are.

Ever heard that Halloween was “the Devil’s holiday” or that it started as All Hallows’ Eve and was corrupted by pagans?

Yeah…about that.

In this feature length Holiday Special episode, Nate grabs the shovel and digs all the way back to Samhain, the ancient Celtic festival of fire and fear, before tracing how Rome, the medieval Christian Church, and eventually capitalism each stole a piece of the party.

What you’ll hear:

• The real Samhain - bonfires, masks, and ancestor lore long before Christianity.
• How Rome franchised everything it touched (Feralia, Pomona, and the first “Festival of Fruits and the Departed”).
• Why the Christian Church moved All Saints’ Day to November 1 and rebranded a pagan rave as a holy vigil.
• Souling, guising, and the invention of trick-or-treat.
• Witch trials, Puritan bans, and how Irish immigrants resurrected Halloween in America.
• The rise of pumpkins, horror movies, and candy corporations that turned a fire-festival into a billion-dollar season.
• Plus: ghostly Producer Steve, a fruit-goddess cameo, and a heartfelt finale on why we still light the dark together.

It’s part folklore documentary, part stand-up roast, and entirely the truth behind your favorite haunted holiday.

History, humor, and heresy...served full-size.

Searchable Sources & References:

• Nicholas Rogers, Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night (Oxford University Press, 2002)
• Ronald Hutton, The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain (Oxford University Press, 1996)
• Mircea Eliade, The Encyclopedia of Religion (Macmillan, 1987) - entries on Samhain & seasonal rites
• Ovid, Fasti Book II (lines 533-570) - primary account of Feralia & Pomona
• Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, “Samhain,” “All Saints’ Day,” “Halloween”
• The Malleus Maleficarum (1486) - the witch-hunter’s manual you shouldn’t read before bed
• David J. Skal, Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween (Bloomsbury, 2002)
• Jack Santino, Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life (University of Tennessee Press, 1994)

Stay Gold, Nerd Bold...And HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

And please Follow, Rate, and Give the Show a 5-star Rating!

Before social media, before algorithms, before doomscrolling…there was the 1990s.

A decade that traded Cold War dread for day-care demons, trench-coat paranoia, and talk-show hysteria...when America turned fear into entertainment and the 24-hour news cycle made anxiety a national pastime.

In this Nerdoween Checkpoint Extra, Nate rewinds through the moral panics that shaped a generation: the Satanic Panic hangover, the “superpredator” myth, video-game witch hunts, Y2K, and chain-email urban legends that made even our inboxes haunted. With humor, heart, and real data, this deep dive unpacks how the Fear Machine of the ’90s became the anxiety economy we still scroll through today.

Mentioned & Sourceable Research:

Google any of these for more context and receipts - the stats, studies, and sociologists behind the story:

• Harvard / National Comorbidity Survey - Ronald Kessler et al. (1994–2005)
• CDC / NCHS - U.S. antidepressant-use trends (1988–2000)
• FBI Behavioral Science Unit - Kenneth Lanning (1992), Investigator’s Guide to Allegations of Ritual Child Abuse
• Stephen Ceci & Maggie Bruck, Cornell University (1993) - Child suggestibility research
• Mary de Young (2004) - The Day Care Ritual Abuse Moral Panic
• John J. DiIulio (1995) - “The Coming of the Superpredators” + later retraction interviews (2001-2008)
• Bureau of Justice Statistics - Juvenile violent-crime data, 1990–2000
• Elizabeth Loftus (1994) - The Myth of Repressed Memory
• David Altheide & Robert Snow (1996-2002) - Media Logic and Creating Fear: News and the Construction of Crisis
• Joel Best (1985-2008) - Research on poisoned-Halloween-candy myths
• U.S. Senate Special Committee on Y2K (1998-1999) - Prevention cost reports
• CDC MMWR (1999) - First U.S. West Nile Virus outbreak
• Indicators of School Crime & Safety (NCES/BJS 1999-2000)

Trigger & Content Note:

Includes discussion of school shootings and Columbine (skip 35:00 - 40:00 if needed).

Fear sells...but it’s not free. Stay gold, nerd bold.

And don't forget to Follow, Rate, and Review the Show!

Welcome to the grand finale of Nerdoween 2025: The Final Fright.

After a month of monsters, haunted hardware, cursed VHS tapes, and cult horror kings, Nate closes the book on Nerdoween with one last deep dive into what makes fear human.

In this feature-length episode:

Monster Manual: The Zombie - a breakdown of horror’s oldest metaphor.

Movie Monster Spotlight: Ghostface - the slasher who knew the rules.

The What-If Crypt: What if Bungie had made a Halo horror spinoff? What if John Carpenter directed RE 2? And many more!

Halloweens of Yesteryear: The 2010s

The History We Haunted: A walk through horror’s evolution from the 1970s to the 2020s.

Behind the Mask: A love letter to horror fans, conventions, and the family that fear built.

The Sound of Fear: Why silence, static, and one piano key can still wreck your nerves.

Dia de los Muertos: Remembering the ones we love, and lighting a candle for Ripley.

Community Checkpoint: True listener ghost stories including “The Man in the Cowboy Hat,” “The Sleeper,” and “Under the Bed.”

Then it ends the only way it should - with gratitude, love, and a reflection on what it means to carry the light forward when the fog rolls back in.

Don't forget to follow, rate, and review the show!

Stay Gold, Nerd Bold...Stay Spooky!