What the HELL Were You Thinking?

Show Notes Episode 481: What A Wicked Game to Play

This week Host Dave Bledsoe is violently ejected from the Arbor Terrace Teaneck weekly Bingo Night for helping Mrs. Maria Santamarino when she rigged the game for sexual favors to be named later! (He also owed her money!) On the show this week we take a look at television matchmaking shows, the good, the bad, the insane!

Along the way we discover that Dave had never been a big hit with the ladies! (Shocking!) Then we dive right into the history or matchmaking going back to the Bronze Age.  Finally, we hit the stage for The Dating Game, before finally sitting down on the couch with the suavest motherfucker in all the 80s, Chuck Woolery! (Before he became a MAGA CHUD and died.)  Then we take a tour of all the dating game shows that came after Love Connections but never rose to its perfection and remind you all that Jenny McCarthy, no matter how nice her boobs, is part of why the world is fucked today!

Our Sponsor this week is Last Call Dating, because everyone is sexy at Last Call! We open with a Dating Game ripoff and close with the Brother Comatose, who don’t WANT to fall in love!

Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense

The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast

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The Show Line: 347 687 9601

Closing Music: https://youtu.be/SIaIP3EROJY?si=dP0bmFSu-TTphfsi

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Citations Needed:

Behind the scenes: ''Studs''

https://ew.com/article/1992/10/09/behind-scenes-studs/

17 Forgotten Dating Shows

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/64718/17-forgotten-dating-shows

EGOS & IDS; Cupid in Prime Time

https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/25/style/egos-ids-cupid-in-prime-time.html

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Show Notes Episode 480: Find Me…Fabio

This week Host Dave Bledsoe was kicked out of a karaoke bar for attempting to perform a “Full Monty Version” of Rod Stewart’s “If You Want My Body”. (Again) On the show this week we begin our tribute to Love (Exciting and New) with the man face and body synonymous with romance in the 90’s: Fabio Fanzoni. 

Along the way we learn that Dave thought he was sexy once. (He wasn’t) Then we dive right into the history of the medium that made Fabio so famous. (Sense and Sensibility walked so Texas Splendor could inspire masturbatory fantasies.) Then we meet the man meat, Fabio.  From his origins as a slightly naughty altar boy in Italy, to his time in the Italian Army and finally his arrival in the United States with nothing but a few dollars and a dream. (Also the perfect body and the perfect face.) We trace his career from the covers of slightly smutty books to his meeting with the goose that killed the golden career.

Our Sponsor this week is Gordon’s Goose Guard, got geese, get Gordon’s. We open the show with footage from Fabio’s last ride and close with Andy Eversole, whose shirt isn’t good enough for him.

Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense

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The Show Line: 347 687 9601

Closing Music: https://youtu.be/MeIkLesfjxE?si=dETfj_uBAquKau0_

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Citations Needed:

A Brief History of the Romance Novel

https://frictionlit.org/a-brief-history-of-the-romance-novel/?srsltid=AfmBOoqJpWsTzEsIG-w8_Q10aEUCsLmaFs_AxWSCyagwC01BgCiID6Vb

The Real-Life Diet of Fabio (Yes, That Fabio)

https://www.gq.com/story/the-real-life-diet-of-fabio

Fabio: A Phenomenon

https://sites.duke.edu/unsuitable/fabio

Evolution of Romance Novel Book Covers

https://fchornetmedia.com/31808/inside-fullerton/the-evolution-of-romance-novel-book-covers/#:~:text=Fabio%20Lanzoni%20was%20a%20male,of%20masculinity%20and%20sex%20appeal.

King Of Romance Fabio Knows How To Please His Fans At Book Signing

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/jul/14/king-of-romance-fabio-knows-how-to-please-his/

Wikipedia: Apollo’s Chariot

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo%27s_Chariot

Fabio Survives Goose Encounter, but Take a Gander at His Honker

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-apr-09-cl-25542-story.html

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All February What the HELL Were You Thinking celebrates love and romance. (Meaning we make fun of it!) Join us lonely bastards at the bar and take a listen!

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Show Notes Episode 479: One World In Disharmony

Winter Series 2025 Finale

This week Host Dave Bledsoe drunkenly slurs “Can’t we all just get along?” as he was tossed out of Paramus New Jersey wedding reception for people he has never met. (Again) On the show this week the wrap up Winter Series 2025 “Et Tu Y2K?” with a look on the world 25 years after and how it fucked us up.

Along the way we learn just how deep the rabbit hole goes when it comes to Dave’s brother Fred.  Then we dive right into a long, occasionally serious, talk about the way the world was and the way the world is. (Bad. Worse) We discuss the flawed but effective monoculture that kept Americans somewhat together for fifty years. (It sucked, but it is all we had.) Then we wrapped up with all the ways Y2K dealt the final blow to the 20th Century without ever turning off a single light. 

Our Sponsor this week is The Connect, when you inevitably find yourself in The Camps, it is good to have The Connect. We open with Tony Fauci unironically discussing the legacy of Y2K and close with Kalaghoda who is having supply chain problems.

Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense

The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast

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The Show Line: 347 687 9601

Closing Music: https://youtu.be/vSBH-x0LjUQ?si=NG8E7u-N0bvQijgx

Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop

Citations Needed:

Computer ownership up sharply in the 1990s

https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/1999/Apr/wk1/art01.htm

Y2K: An American Crisis

https://www.processhistory.org/vox-y2k/

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Show Notes Episode 478: Jesus Was Supposed to BE HERE By Now!

Part 3 of Winter Series 2025 “Et Tu Y2K?”

This week Host Dave Bledsoe drunkenly tried to explain to a bartender that his bar tab was not late, because time is a human construct. (The bartender told him that money was also, and made him pay up.) On the show this week talk about the folks who thought Y2K meant whatever crazy religious thing they believed was about to happen.

Along the way we discover a new way that Dave has disappointed his parents. (The list just keeps growing!) Then we dive right into a windy diatribe on the nature of time and human’s need to compartmentalize it. (Spark a bowl and sit back, this goes to some unexpected places, like a history of calendars.) Then we finally get around to talking about why people thought Jesus was coming back at the turn of the Millennium. (Honestly, it was a book they read in the mid 70’s) We take a tour of some of the more interesting groups and individuals who decided to FORCE Jesus into coming back by killing some folks.  Finally, we explain why Jesus didn’t come back and the world didn’t end in January of 2000. (Duh, the Millennium didn’t start until NEXT YEAR!!)

Our Sponsor this week is The Lord, who wants you to know he will get here when he gets here.  We open the show with a CNN Special Report and close with The Goodnight who don’t have anyplace else to be, so take your time.

Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense

The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast

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The Show Line: 347 687 9601

Closing Music: https://youtu.be/Yt9MGz78gkQ?si=7rigo4fzg0K1DaMP

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Citations Needed:

Christian conservatives reconsider Y2K disaster warnings

https://religionnews.com/1999/10/27/news-feature-christian-conservatives-reconsider-y2k-disaster-warnings/

Israel Detains U.S. Christian Cult Members

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jan-04-mn-60341-story.html

Y2K Paranoia: Extremists Confront the Millenium

https://www.adl.org/resources/report/y2k-paranoia-extremists-confront-millenium

Frontline Readings: Project Meggido

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/readings/project.html

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Show Notes Episode 477: “There’s Got To Be A Morning After”

Part 2 of Winter Series 2025 “Et Tu Y2K?”

This week Host Dave Bledsoe found some dusty bottles of pale yellow liquor in an old fallout shelter and woke up three days later in Nicaragua. (Again.) On the show this week Winter Series 2025 continues when we tell you all about the Y2k Prepper Movement. (Which wasn’t called that until 9/11)

Along the way we learn that there are SOME things even Dave won’t eat. Then we dive right into the history of survivalism in America, going all the way to the very first Europeans. (They survived, the Indians not so much.) Then we move along to learn the difference between “Preppers” and “Survivalists” (The number of Nazi flags, basically.) Finally we detail EVERYTHING you need to survive Y2k and where you could buy it.

Our Sponsor this week is Arnold’s Apocalypse Palace Returns Department, who want you to know all sales are final. We open the show with a concerned family man and close the show with Mystic Inscho who has hope for a brighter tomorrow!

Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense

The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast

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The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ

The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq

Our Website: www.whatthehellpodcast.com

Give us your money on Patreon  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast

The Show Line: 347 687 9601

Closing Music: https://youtu.be/ctLaJ74njrg?si=_jrz-0QRwkVBpfLy

Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop

Citations Needed:

Coureur des bois

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coureur_des_bois

History of the Prepper Movement: From Paranoid Radicals to Mainstream

https://historycooperative.org/history-of-the-prepper-movement/

As Confetti Rained on Times Square, Y2K Bug Was a No-Show

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/31/insider/y2k-crisis.html

My Y2K - A Personal Statement

https://web.archive.org/web/20070927062527/http://kunstler.com/mags_y2k.html

Y2K seems like a joke now, but in 1999 people were really freaking out

https://www.npr.org/2024/12/28/nx-s1-5116271/y2k-year-2000-preparations

‘Time Bomb Y2K’ ignites the media hysteria around the 20th century’s final freakout

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/30/entertainment/time-bomb-y2k-review-hbo/index.html

Advice for an Apocalypse: 10 Tips From Y2K Survival Guides

https://www.mentalfloss.com/tips-from-y2k-survival-guides

A Doom and Bust Cycle for Y2K Suppliers

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-01-mn-28735-story.html

Master Prepping List

https://www.happypreppers.com/masterlist.html

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Show Notes Episode 476: The Final Countdown

Part of 1 of Et Tu Y2K?

This week Host Dave Bledsoe tried to explain his behavior to some very unreceptive NYPD officers by claiming he experienced a “software glitch”. (It didn’t work and he spent New Year's Day in the Tombs. Again.) On the show this week we kick off the Winter Series 2025 “Et Tu Y2K?” by explaining what the Y2K Bug was and what would happen if it wasn’t fixed.(Everyone would fall apart, kind of like what is going to happen this year!)

Along the way we discover that Dave being sad because he has no friends isn’t something that just happened recently. (He is a sad, lonely old man!) Then we dive into a brief history of computers and computer languages, a topic Dave knows nothing about and is not willing to learn. We discover how the world went from using thin slips of cardboard with holes punched in it to magnetic disks in a very short time. (Alien technology.) Then we see how very early on people were worried about the Y2K Problem and how they ignored it until the last possible minute.  (Sounds familiar?) Finally we give long overdue credit to the nerds who saved us all.

Our Returning Sponsor is Arnold’s Apocalypse Palace, when the end is near, Arnold’s has you covered! We open the show with Dick Clark counting down the Millennium and close with banjos on the way to Venus. 

Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense

The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast

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The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ

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Our Website: www.whatthehellpodcast.com

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The Show Line: 347 687 9601

Closing Music: https://youtu.be/ctLaJ74njrg?si=_jrz-0QRwkVBpfLy

Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop

Citations Needed:

Wikipedia Computer Programming

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_programming

Here We Go. The Chaos Is Starting’: An Oral History of Y2K

https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/security/a30338692/y2k-panic/

How a batch of tinned meat fostered fears of the millennium bug

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/31/how-a-batch-of-tinned-meat-fostered-fears-of-the-millennium-bug

The Economics of Y2K and the Impact on the United States

https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/migrated/reports/y2k_1.pdf

12.31.99 The Y2K Nightmare

https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/1999/1/123199-the-y2k-nightmare

20 Years Later, the Y2K Bug Seems Like a Joke—Because Those Behind the Scenes Took It Seriously

https://time.com/5752129/y2k-bug-history/

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2000-25 party over Oops, out of time So this January we’re  gonna party like it's 1999! What the HELL Were You Thinking takes you back 25 years to the breathless anticipation of Y2K, would society collapse, would the ATM’s suddenly spew money into the streets, was Jesus coming back, or was it Aliens? No one knew, but a LOT of people THOUGHT they did! So join us as we kick off Winter Series 2025 “Et Tu Y2K” a look back at what DID happen and what people THOUGHT would happen!  Join us in our Y2K Bunker as we talk about the reality but mostly about panic over the Year 2000! Starting January 6th on the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network and wherever you get your pods!

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Show Notes Episode 475: Year In Review 2024 “So THAT Really Happened”

This week Host Dave Bledsoe awoke screaming in a dumpster behind a bar in Altoona Pennsylvania wearing only a “Justice For Luigi” Onesie and a pair of Crocs.  (He told us he considered it one of his better Christmas Days.) On the show this week we look back  horror, disgust and disappointment at the year that was 2024

Our Sponsor  this week is The Year 2025, who wants you to know it is about to get SO MUCH WORSE! We open the show with predictions for 2024 and close with The Theme Song for 2024. 

Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense

The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast

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Our Website: www.whatthehellpodcast.com

Give us your money on Patreon  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast

The Show Line: 347 687 9601

Closing Musichttps://youtu.be/9wO5TnYaJ4o?si=mUPcwsBFJXL4286a

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Show Notes Episode 343: Frosty the Snow Ho (Redux)

This week, Host Dave Bledsoe is basically phoning it in so he can get on with the business of his Christmas Bender.  (You probably won’t be able to notice anything different)  On the show this week, we take a look at some of the bizarre and inexplicable Christmas specials that taught us that sharing special times with family is the true meaning of Christmas.  (And to buy whatever junk they were plugging in the special.)

Along the way we learn that Dave is not only a bad son, he is a really shitty uncle too!  (Shocked?  Don’t be.) Then we dive right into the strange and questionable television offerings that have “entertained” kids for decades.  (Yes, we mention the Star Wars special, but it is hardly the only one out there.)  From Eternia to 75 million years before the Reason for the Season was ostensibly born in a stable, we pick at all the logical flaws and blatant commercialism we can find.  Finally, we wrap up with REAL Holiday specials, with heartwarming themes like gangbags and sodomy!  (Because spending time with the ones you love, or the ones you love for about an hour is what Christmas is really about!)

Our Sponsor this week is the Elvish Liberation Front, from the North Pole to the Keebler Tree, we won’t stop until every elf is free.  We open with Han and Chewie and close with the Universal Robot Band getting funky for Christmas!

Show Theme: https://www.jamendo.com/track/421668/prelude-to-common-sense

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www.whatthehellpodcast.com

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The Show Line: 347 687 9601

Closing Music: https://youtu.be/7NEnSkpbmCY

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Citations Needed:

The Gay Subtext of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

https://www.vulture.com/2016/12/rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeers-gay-subtext.html

The 16 Worst Christmas Specials of All Time

https://www.toplessrobot.com/2011/12/the_16_worst_christmas_specials_of_all_time_1.php

Fright Christmas: 15 Horrifying Kids Holiday Specials

https://www.cbr.com/horrifying-kids-christmas-specials/

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