Inspired by some news stories about drinking contests, CJ and Sean share some of the funniest drinking challenges they have participated in. Stories include unsafe bar specials, like 'bladder busters', where beers are discounted until the first customer pees. We all share the story of a English tourist who died trying to 'win' a recklessly challenging Jamaican contest where customers finish over 20 cocktails and compare that to other famous contents and challenges where people have died, including Dylan Thomas's final last words of , "I've had eighteen straight whiskies and I do believe that's a record".

Comedian Joe McAdam tells the story of a legendary liar he used to drink with at a secluded dive bar in Chicago. Joe's liar claimed to be everything from a CIA hitman to a world class hacker to a bounty hunter. This leads to a longer discussion on how fun liars are. CJ and Sean discuss some of their all time favorite liars, both ones they knew personally, like the carpenter Sean meet who said he out-ran a police helicopter, along with famous liars like Wilt Chamberlain. We also discuss how times are tougher now for liars, with everyone having smart phones and google.

Comedian Tyler Fowler tells the story of when he and his under-age friends took the train into Chicago and got drunk, then detained by police, at Wrigley Field. Tyler joins CJ and Sean in the studio to share what its like to drink in the pleasure island of downtown Chicago when you are a kid from the nearby burbs. Tyler, who has been sober for years, also shares why he is glad he retired from drinking when he did. CJ and Sean then share more stories about what its like to venture into the big city for drinks, when you live in nearby suburbs, including how the cops seem nicer but the tow truck drivers are a lot worse.

Comedian Marc Levalle tells a story about sneaking booze into Lollapalooza, having a great night, but then having to jump into action on the Red Line when a crack head starts menacing everyone on the train. Marc joins CJ and Sean in the studio and tells some more hilarious stories he's made since moving to Chicago (from Georgia), including how he became a passenger in a late night police chase. CJ and Sean share their own crazy train stories and wonder who is crazier- the Chicago train employees or passengers? We also talk about how passengers in Europe are upset about new alcohol restrictions on trains and how an American train conductor would not last one shift in Japan, where they are famously strict about their arrival times. We also mention the mysterious death of base great Ed Delahanty who died after being ejected from a train due to drunken disorderliness.

Comedian Cece Nunyaz makes her debut at The Blackout Diaries and tells a hilarious story about a town who's only 4 AM bar is a chicken shack where fights always start. Cece finds herself in one of those fights but, unlike the other combatants, Cece keeps her head on a swivel, thinks fast, and launches a hilarious, well-planned escape! Cece joins CJ and Sean in the studio and we start a wider discussion on escapes. We share the science of why some people act more decisively when drunk, which Cece thinks aids fleeing and we share some funny attempts of drunks attempting to flee cops with good plans but totaled bodies. Sean also gives a fireworks update from the 4th of July

Comedian Tommy MacNamara tells a story about falling into a bon fire at a wedding (from the live show). Tommy then joins CJ and Sean in the studio to talk about more wedding mishaps, involving everything from remembering your preschool safety lessons (stop, drop & roll) to errant, wildly-expensive taxi rides. CJ and Sean talk about fire in this episode- how drunks are doubly irresponsible around fire in that we not only create more fires, but we also can't seem to understand how hot they are. CJ tells a story about camping trip where fireworks, a bon fire and psychedelics nearly combined to kill people and we extend an open invite to a legendary wedding guest who nearly burned down a wedding venue. Checkout Tommy's forth coming live album, along with hilarious podcast Stand By Your Band!

Comedian Chris Damen tells a story at our live show about the time he had a stroke during sex after leaving a late night bar. And Chris, "being a feminist", decides -- with his partner's permission -- that its best they finish before looking into the medical urgency of a stroke (BTW, it turns out doctors say that's not the best way to handle a stroke and you should go straight to the hospital). Chris joins CJ and Sean in the studio and shares more hilarious details from the story. This leads Sean and CJ to a larger conversation on how drunks always ignore or under-estimate how hurt they really are. CJ tells a story about bleeding badly at a party without knowing it and Sean tells some highlights of the story that his one man show was centered around- falling off the roof during a Huey Lewis concert.

Comedian Tom Clark, a long time favorite of Sean and CJ's, joins us in the studio. Tom is an amazing standup and has the best 'bad road show' stories in the business. Tom spends about 30 minutes with us, hilariously detailing his 4 worst road shows. This leads to a discussion on how the bookers of bad shows often trick you into agreeing to perform. CJ and Sean also tell some funny bad road trip stories.

Thanks for listening. Make sure to checkout Tom's podcast, "I'm a Rescue" and share Blackout Diaries with friends!

Comedian -- and long time friend of the show -- Clark Jones joins us. From the live show, Clark tells a few college stories with his best friend Will Miles (another hilarious comedian). Clark and Will share stories about college house parties and give advice on how to get high and drunk on the cheap in college. Clark then joins CJ and Sean in the studio to share more college stories and explain why HBUs are different than other colleges, both in terms of partying and academics. This leads CJ and Sean to theme of 'college drinking stories' for the episode. They each share some of their college stories- Sean talks about getting drunk on a state minimum beer after the Browns relocated to Baltimore while in College and CJ tells some stories about what it was like for all his buddies to be attending college within a 2 hour drive of each other on the east coast. We also talk about recent college drinking trends from tik tok and what both parents and doctors thing about the trends.

Comedian, writer, producer, and all-around-Chicago-legend Mick Betancourt tells a story about the time he saw a gun-drawing fight at a Chicago diner on Thanksgiving night along with how little the responding officer cared about the fight. Mick joins CJ and Sean to share some more stories from Chicago, along with some hilarious quotes -- and great advice -- from his time as a writer on Law & Order SVU. Mick's story was recorded from the final comedy show at the original Lincoln Lodge location -- also a diner -- and this leads to a wider theme on how much drunks love diners. CJ and Sean share stories from some of their favorite late-night diners and we also talk about the science of why you want to eat such unhealthy, greasy food when drunk.