Once a year, Joey Chestnut becomes the main character of the internet -- but it wasn't always that way. This week, we're talking about the greatest hot dog rivalry of all time, and the media ringmaster that made it possible.

Before Joey's annual stint as a main character, the hot dog eating champion of the world was one Takeru Kobayashi, a Japanese eater who turned a novelty event in the U.S. into a full-blown sensation in the early 2000s. Then, contractual issues and a huge wave of xenophobia pushed Kobi out of the professional scene in America, until Labor Day 2024 when he faced off with Chestnut for the first time in 15 years. A lot has changed since their last meeting... more than anything, the way stories are told using the internet.

Jamie speaks with documentarian Nicole Lucas-Haimes, director of the 30 for 30 about the Kobi and Chestnut rivalry: The Good, The Bad, The Hungry. She's also the executive producer of the Netflix rematch, Unfinished Beef.

This Thursday, Jamie ventures to Las Vegas to see the Kobi-Chestnut Netflix rematch in person.

Watch The Good, The Bad, The Hungry: https://www.netflix.com/title/81752194
Watch Unfinished Beef: https://www.netflix.com/title/81743617
Buy Raw Dog (now in paperback): https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250847768/rawdog
Now

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ken Bone reflects on the eight-year anniversary of his overnight viral success, how becoming a main character changed his life, and how his moment moved his politics forward.

Donate to St. Patrick's Center here: https://www.stpatrickcenter.org/donate

Los Angeles area heads, see Jamie live this November at the Lyric Hyperion! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-tiny-man-is-trying-to-kill-me-tickets-1039733048537?aff=oddtdtcreator

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2016, one man in a red sweater became the nation's sweetheart... until he didn't. Ken Bone became a celebrity overnight after a star turn at the height of an October 2016 political nightmare. Just two days after the infamous Access Hollywood tape made many think Trump's first run for president was a lost cause, after a year of "her emails" and what felt like an infinity war of an election cycle, the world took comfort in a normal midwestern man who worked at a power plant and loved anime. 

What made Ken so appealing, and -- apologies for taking us back to such a cursed period -- what shitstorm was he caught in the middle of? In part one, Jamie examines the media environment that made Ken a star, and the milkshake duck cycle and a Reddit scandal that made him one of the seminal internet main characters to this day. 

Next week... we talk to Ken.

Donate to Ken's nonprofit of choice, the St. Patrick Center of St. Louis here: https://www.stpatrickcenter.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In part two of our Overly Attached Girlfriend series, we talked to the OAG herself -- Laina Morris. She revisits the viral moment she didn't see coming in 2012, the weirdness of being in a Delta Airlines safety video, and navigating what a career online and at the mercy of the algorithm looks like while struggling with depression.

Laina's been away from regular posting for the last five years as she navigated it all, and she and Jamie get into how to maintain your self-worth and share yourself safely. Slap on your scary eyes, baby, we're going in.

Follow Laina on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@laina

Follow Laina on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laina

Follow Laina on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laina622

Sixteenth Minute Reddit! : https://www.reddit.com/r/SixteenthMinute/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the summer of 2012, Laina Morris became an overnight viral star as the Overly Attached Girlfriend, a parody of the rampant Justin Bieber "Beliebers" of the era. The week after, she had to decide if she'd drop out of college or pursue the life of a job that didn't quite exist yet -- a full-time YouTuber.

In part 1, Jamie takes a look at Laina's ascent, and how the image of the YouTube star was first conjured from thin air by a bunch of Silicon Valley weirdos, and perfected by YouTubers themselves. Net week, Jamie speaks exclusively with Laina Morris in part two!

For more on the history of the social media algorithm, check out "The Chaos Machine" by Max Fisher: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-chaos-machine-the-inside-story-of-how-social-media-rewired-our-minds-and-our-world-max-fisher/18203720

For more on YouTube celebrity, check out "Extremely Online" by Taylor Lorenz: https://bookshop.org/p/books/extremely-online-the-untold-story-of-fame-influence-and-power-on-the-internet-taylor-lorenz/19718842?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrp-3BhDgARIsAEWJ6SwYyF8sigAMNiXmi3fokHCkE2bzkcSOCaQ7nB0cdh3vmpjNcJS4rVAaAhV6EALw_wcB

Follow Laina on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@laina

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi, Sixteenth Minute listeners! iHeartPodcasts has geared up for a riveting new podcast called The Legend of SwordQuest. Hosted by Jamie Loftus, The Legend of SwordQuest started as a promotion for a new Atari game that would become one of the most controversial moments in ‘80s pop culture, with a central mystery that’s consumed fans for decades: what happened to the missing SwordQuest prizes? Don't just take our word for it, though. Check out this trailer and start listening now!

Listen to The Legend of SwordQuest on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In part two of this definitely minisode series, Jamie talks with ex-Mormon YouTuber and author of How to Leave the Mormon Church: An Ex-Mormons Guide to Rebuilding After Religion Alyssa Grenfell about how the LDS may have found a back channel to bankroll its most powerful influencers, without leaving a paper trail.

Alyssa walks Jamie through how she thinks it's done, and how the LDS has succeeded and fumbled its relationships with influencers in the past. 

Buy Alyssa's book!: https://www.howtoleavethemormonchurch.com/about

Watch Alyssa's full theory here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGXggLIafrc

Subscribe to Alyssa's channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@alyssadgrenfell

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Jamie takes a treacherous voyage into a complicated question -- why on Earth are there so many successful Mormon influencers? In this two-part series, she looks at how the origins and the values of the Mormon church deceptively align with the conservative "tradwife" influencing space of today... and yes, she will get into the tradwives. Contained herein: Joseph Smith shoving his face into a hat, a new Hulu reality series that is deceptively boring, Ballerina Farm, and the Mormons' early success in the conservative mommy blogging space.

Tune in for part 2, where ex-Mormon Alyssa Grenfell poses a theory at how the Church of Latter Day Saints stays two steps ahead of it all.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sixteenth Minute exclusive! We’ve got the first in depth interview with Bryan Gaw, aka the Left Shark himself. 

This week, Jamie revisits the 2015 Super Bowl saga that was Left Shark — the costumed cartilaginous fish that went rogue in 2015 beside Katy Perry during a chorus of ‘Teenage Dream,’ capturing the world’s heart. The person inside is just as lovable, and Jamie takes the bus to West Hollywood to meet dancer-turned-celebrity-stylist Bryan Gaw to revisit one of the internet’s few wholesome moments. 

Plus… ELLLLLVIS PRESTOOOO

Follow Bryan Gaw here: https://bryangaw.com/

And here: https://www.instagram.com/bryangaw

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, the curvy wife saga concludes. Jamie talks to Cate Navarrete of the Body Positivity Alliance and Tigress Osborn of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance about where this moment falls in the decades-long history of fat activism, and how mainstream media narratives tend to depoliticize civil rights issues. Also, Jamie mumbles the lyrics to "Hot Wife" by curvy wife guy to herself. Also, Jamie learns what "hotwife" means. *airhorn*

Learn about NAAFA here: https://naafa.org/

Follow Tigress here: https://www.instagram.com/iofthetigress/?hl=en

Learn about the Body Positivity Alliance here: https://bodypositivealliance.org/

Learn about Cate here: https://bodypositivealliance.org/team-and-board/cate-navarrete

Read Tigress's original essay here: https://naafa.org/blog-archive/black-history-always

For more on the history of fat activism and body positivity, start here (curated by the amazing Aubrey Gordon of Maintenance Phase!): https://www.yourfatfriend.com/fat-reading-list

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.