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A vacant storefront turns into a beacon, and our family calendar rearranges itself around one word: Spirit. We dig into how a pop-up chain became a full-blown culture—from saving up for animatronics to lining a driveway with jump-scares that make the neighborhood scream and cheer in the same breath. With our resident superfan (the NJ Kid) leading the charge, we trade stories about open-box steals, legendary props like Harvester of Souls and Buzz Saw, and the first time walking into a store that felt more like a ride queue than retail.

We get nerdy about the guts too. Zombie Squad support, recall fixes, and DIY repairs turn breakdowns into bonding time: jammed fans, stripped gears, and the satisfaction of swapping parts yourself. We tour Spirit’s evolving in-store experiences and Easter eggs—the lab era, the carnival with collectible tickets, this year’s subway set—and the nine-foot Young Hee from Squid Game calling red light, green light in two languages. Jack the Reaper steps off the logo with head-tracking that pushes the tech envelope, and the community documents what works, what fails, and which batches to hunt. Flagship trips in Egg Harbor have grown into pilgrimages with DJs, giveaways, and YouTubers like Nate Guy and Brick Thunder turning store aisles into meetup halls.

Back home, the season spills into our space: oil portraits that flip from calm to cursed, webbed shower curtains, and a hallway guarded by the Grady twins. We share how to stage outdoor scares without outdoor-rated props, rotate nightly features, and go all-in on Halloween night so every step up the driveway feels intentional. Along the way we weigh theme park haunts, talk budgeting, and admit that not every animatronic is a winner—and why that’s part of the fun. Subscribe for more of our Halloween series, share this episode with your favorite haunter, and drop a review with the Spirit prop you’d buy first. Stay spooky.

Hosted by: Cottman, Crawford & The Jersey Guy
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Fear takes center stage as we launch our five-part Halloween special with a deep dive into the world of horror cinema! From childhood terrors to modern-day frights, this episode uncovers the movies that have shaped our relationship with fear.

Remember "Shocktober" on PIX? We travel back to those spine-tingling promotional segments that had us all talking the next day at school, especially that infamous slime monster that made us think twice about swimming in lakes. Our slasher discussion pits Jason Voorhees against Michael Myers, with Friday the 13th and Halloween competing for the crown of ultimate slasher film, while Silent Night, Deadly Night gets an unexpected shoutout as a hidden gem.

The conversation shifts to psychological horror, where The Shining reigns supreme with its disorienting cinematography and pure dread. Kubrick's masterful manipulation of viewers' psyches remains unmatched decades later. We explore how found footage revolutionized horror with Blair Witch Project's groundbreaking marketing and the evolution of zombie films from Night of the Living Dead to Return of the Living Dead, where intelligent zombies eat brains "to make the pain of being dead go away."

Video game horror gets its moment too, with Resident Evil and Doom bridging the gap between interactive and cinematic scares. We close by celebrating Halloween's cultural resurgence, driven partly by retailers like Spirit Halloween, which has transformed the holiday into a season-long celebration.

What horror movie still haunts your dreams? Listen to our spirited debate and join us next week for the second installment in our Halloween series. The nightmare is just beginning!

Hosted by: Cottman, Crawford & The Jersey Guy
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The magical world of Dungeons & Dragons unfolds as we journey through character creation with expert guidance. What makes a character truly unique? It's the fusion of stats, abilities, and imagination that transforms numbers on a sheet into living, breathing personas in a fantasy realm.

Our guest meticulously crafted ten distinctive characters, complete with 3D models, to showcase the incredible depth and versatility of D&D character creation. From the formidable half-orc barbarian who tanks damage on the front lines to the brilliant clockwork wizard manipulating time with arcane precision, each character represents a different playstyle and fantasy. The homebrew undead blood hunter reveals how player creativity extends the game beyond official rules, creating characters that damage themselves to amplify their magic while their undead nature provides resistance to those very wounds.

We explore how stats directly shape character identity and capabilities. High wisdom makes druids exceptional at insight checks, while dexterity transforms rangers into masters of stealth and acrobatics. The mechanical foundation of each character creates natural strengths and vulnerabilities that drive storytelling moments during gameplay. A wizard's powerful spells come with the trade-off of low hit points and armor class, creating tension when enemies close in, while multi-classing offers versatility at the cost of specialized power.

Whether you're drawn to the strategic elements of character optimization, the creative expression of building a unique persona, or simply want to understand what makes D&D so captivating, this episode offers valuable insights into the game's remarkable flexibility. For newcomers, we highlight how digital tools have made character management more accessible than ever, allowing players to focus on the adventure rather than calculations.

Ready to roll the dice? Join us after Halloween for another episode where we'll put these characters into action and show you firsthand how combat works in the world's greatest roleplaying game!

Hosted by: Cottman, Crawford & The Jersey Guy
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Curious why that last TikTok you posted got only 12 views while someone else's similar content went viral? You're not alone. 

The Jersey Guy Podcast team dives headfirst into the mysterious world of TikTok's algorithm, sharing our collective journey as relative newcomers to content creation. We break down how watch time trumps likes, why sharing is the ultimate engagement metric, and how the platform somehow knows the difference between funny cursing and nasty cursing (yes, really).

Between laughs and revelations, we unpack surprising discoveries about social media strategy - from optimal posting times to banned hashtags that could be tanking your reach. The conversation reveals how TikTok has evolved beyond entertainment into a legitimate search engine for everything from restaurants to roller coasters, offering more authentic insights than traditional websites.

As three friends with different content creation strengths, we discuss finding our unique niches - talking head videos, voice-overs, captioned images - and how combining these approaches creates more engaging content. The episode balances practical tips with candid reflections on staying authentic in an algorithm-driven world.

Whether you're a content creator looking to boost your reach or simply curious about the science behind what appears on your For You Page, this episode offers a refreshingly honest look at social media's inner workings. We've learned that while understanding the algorithm helps, creating genuine content that makes people laugh will always be the most reliable path to connection.

Ready to crack the code? Join us for a conversation that might just change how you view (and use) social media. And remember - if it makes you laugh, chances are it'll make someone else laugh too.

Hosted by: Cottman, Crawford & The Jersey Guy
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Ever wondered why your perfectly behaved puppy suddenly develops behavioral issues? Or why your small dog barks aggressively while your friend's massive breed remains calm? The answers lie in understanding canine psychology, and our guest Nate "the Dog Man" breaks it all down with remarkable clarity.

Nate's journey into professional dog training began with a chance encounter in a park during high school, where he witnessed a trainer commanding perfect off-leash obedience. That moment sparked a passion that evolved into expertise working with the most challenging canine cases—aggressive, fearful, and dominant dogs that other trainers often avoid. His approach combines deep understanding of genetic predispositions with practical behavior modification techniques that transform troubled dogs into balanced companions.

Throughout our conversation, Nate reveals eye-opening insights about how we unintentionally create problems through humanizing our pets. "When you yell commands from behind your dog, you've literally become the barking dog in the relationship," he explains. Instead, he teaches owners to communicate in ways dogs naturally understand—through consistent boundaries, appropriate outlets for instinctual behaviors, and reward systems that make desired behaviors advantageous.

From solving food aggression by adding food rather than taking it away, to understanding why confidence-building matters more than correction, Nate's methods challenge conventional wisdom while delivering remarkable results. His fascinating breakdown of how dogs learn—comparing it to humans' willingness to endure discomfort for high-value rewards—offers a framework anyone can apply to transform their relationship with their pet.

Whether you're struggling with a specific behavioral issue or simply want to develop a deeper connection with your canine companion, this episode provides practical wisdom that will forever change how you interact with dogs. Subscribe to hear more conversations that blend entertainment with expertise that improves your daily life!

Hosted by: Cottman, Crawford & The Jersey Guy
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What lurks in the vast darkness of our planet's final frontier? Beyond the reach of sunlight, beneath crushing pressure, creatures both magnificent and terrifying have evolved in ways we've barely begun to comprehend.

The ocean's depths hold secrets that make science fiction seem tame by comparison. While we gaze skyward and pour resources into space exploration, we've mapped less of our ocean floor than the surface of Mars. This episode plunges into the abyss, examining eyewitness accounts from naval personnel who've glimpsed unexplainable entities in the deep, including a possible living plesiosaur observed during a submarine mission.

Consider this sobering fact: oceans cover 71% of Earth's surface, yet we've identified only 10% of marine life. Scientists continue to discover hundreds of new species yearly, including the recently documented guitar shark found 200 meters deep off the coast of Mozambique. The Mariana Trench plummets nearly 11,000 meters down, but our best submersibles have reached barely a quarter of that depth. What evolutionary marvels exist beyond our technological reach?

We explore the extraordinary intelligence and otherworldly abilities of octopuses, whose instantaneous color, texture, and pattern changes have military researchers studying them for advanced camouflage technology. Their genetic makeup is so unusual that some scientists have half-seriously suggested extraterrestrial origins. The conversation also examines "whale falls" – massive carcasses that create temporary ecosystems on the ocean floor, drawing creatures from the surrounding darkness.

Ready to have your perspective shifted? Dive into this episode and discover why the greatest unknowns might not be among distant stars, but right here on Earth, beneath the surface of our own oceans.

Hosted by: Cottman, Crawford & The Jersey Guy
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Have you ever caught yourself mindlessly scrolling through your phone for hours, suddenly jolting to awareness with the thought, "I need to put this thing down"? That moment of clarity about our relationship with technology is exactly what sparked our conversation in this episode.

We dive deep into our collective dependency on smartphones and how these devices have evolved from simple communication tools into extensions of ourselves. From watching sports on a cruise ship balcony at 3 AM to seeing people glued to screens at historical sites, we explore how phones have infiltrated every corner of our lives. The conversation moves beyond simple complaints about screen time to examine how fundamentally our behavior, relationships, and even our cognitive processes have changed because of these devices.

The discussion takes fascinating turns as we contemplate the evolution of technology—remembering when computers were our primary digital interfaces and how quickly smartphones supplanted them. We share personal strategies for creating boundaries, from vacation "phone-in-safe" approaches to setting firm cutoff times in the evening. What emerges is a nuanced look at both the incredible benefits of having instant information access and the psychological toll of constant connectivity.

Perhaps most compelling is our exploration of where technology might lead us next. We reference science fiction films like WALL-E, Terminator, and Idiocracy, noting how many past sci-fi concepts are already reality. From augmented reality glasses to neural interfaces, we question whether humanity is prepared for what comes after smartphones—and whether we'll have any say in the matter.

Ready to examine your own relationship with technology? Listen now, then try putting your phone down for a while. Your brain might thank you for the break.

Hosted by: Cottman, Crawford & The Jersey Guy
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Ever wondered what happens when innovation threatens billion-dollar industries? Our latest episode dives deep into the fascinating world of Julian Brown, a visionary inventor who's developed technology to transform plastic waste into usable fuel.

Brown's process breaks down petroleum-based plastics into Plasteline" and "plastidiesel" – his terms for the gasoline and diesel alternatives he creates. This remarkable innovation addresses two massive global challenges simultaneously: our overwhelming plastic pollution crisis and our dependence on conventional fossil fuels. Imagine the Great Pacific Garbage Patch transformed from environmental disaster into valuable resource!

But as we discover, challenging established energy paradigms comes with serious risks. Brown has reportedly faced threats to his safety, including having lug nuts loosened on his vehicle. This darker side of innovation resistance reveals how deeply entrenched economic interests can obstruct progress toward sustainability.

The conversation expands beyond Brown's specific work to explore how society approaches technological change. We examine other alternative energy pathways – from vehicles running on water to solar-powered cars and hydrogen fuel cells – and how they've struggled against institutional resistance. Throughout our discussion, we contemplate how future generations might view our current dependence on fossil fuels and plastic, drawing parallels to how we now look back at outdated technologies.

Despite acknowledging the powerful forces aligned against sustainable innovation, we remain cautiously optimistic. Social media and information sharing continue to amplify voices like Brown's, gradually building momentum toward environmental solutions. This episode will leave you questioning not just how we fuel our vehicles, but how we fuel progress itself.

Have you encountered other innovators fighting against the system to create sustainable solutions? Share your thoughts and join the conversation!

Hosted by: Cottman, Crawford & The Jersey Guy
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Ever notice how the best conversations happen right before you hit record? We decided to capture that magic by going completely off the cuff in this freewheeling episode.

Starting with AI's growing presence in our lives, we share how we use Amazon's Alexa for practical purposes like maintaining shared shopping lists, while also diving into darker concerns about technology being weaponized by malicious actors. The conversation takes a fascinating turn when we discuss an innovative motorcycle design with a hollow tube that dramatically reduces wind resistance by 70%, allowing it to achieve extraordinary speeds with just 128 horsepower.

Car enthusiasts will appreciate our nostalgic journey through automotive history, from the tank-like American cars of yesteryear to today's high-performance machines. We reminisce about Lincoln Continentals with their iconic suicide doors, debate why American cars seemed to decline in quality during the 1980s, and express amazement at surprising performance vehicles like Jeep Cherokees that can outrun Dodge Vipers in quarter-mile races.

The episode showcases our natural chemistry and willingness to explore wherever the conversation leads. We transition effortlessly between practical technology applications, automotive engineering breakthroughs, and even futuristic concepts that once seemed like pure science fiction. Remember when the idea of having a computer in your pocket seemed absurd? Now we're discussing personal flying vehicles and transportation methods that bend space and time.

Whether you're a tech enthusiast, car lover, or simply enjoy authentic conversation, this episode delivers unfiltered thoughts and genuine reactions. What technologies from science fiction do you think might become reality in our lifetime? Join the conversation and let us know your thoughts!

Hosted by: Cottman, Crawford & The Jersey Guy
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A split-second decision to duck away from a kiss cam at a Coldplay concert has forever altered the lives of two executives, and the internet can't get enough of it. When the CEO and his HR chief realized they were being broadcast to thousands of concertgoers—and potentially their spouses at home—their panicked reaction spoke volumes. Even Chris Martin couldn't resist commenting, "They're either super shy or cheating." Spoiler alert: it wasn't shyness.

We unpack this viral moment that's sparked an avalanche of memes across social media, from Star Wars characters embracing Batman to sports mascots performing their own parody. But beneath the humor lies a serious conversation about workplace ethics, power dynamics, and the devastating ripple effects of infidelity in the digital age. The fact that these individuals were at a company event makes their behavior all the more problematic, raising questions about how she obtained her position and what other professional boundaries may have been crossed.

What drives someone to risk everything for an affair? We explore the psychology behind cheating, including the fascinating theory that some people become addicted to the "honeymoon phase" of relationships—constantly chasing that initial thrill while still wanting the stability of marriage. Through personal reflections and honest conversation, we challenge listeners to consider the real-world consequences of infidelity: destroyed families, traumatized children, and ruined reputations. The message is clear—if you're unhappy, address it directly rather than betraying trust. In today's hyper-connected world, the cameras are always rolling, and the consequences of that one reckless moment might just follow you forever.

Have you ever witnessed someone get caught in a similar situation? Share your thoughts with us, and don't forget to subscribe for more unfiltered conversations about relationships, social media, and the complex world we navigate together.

Hosted by: Cottman, Crawford & The Jersey Guy
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