And That's Why We Drink - E475 Adventures in Lunacy and Birthday Butterfly Effects

Episode Date: March 22, 2026

A quick note! We had a ghost in the system this week that caused some occasional echoed audio moments - we apologize for any of these you may hear during the episode!It’s Episode 475 and we’re taking a trip down memory lane to the Disney and Universal Studios visits of our past! Today Em brings us Part Two of the Goldfield Hotel/The Original 2004 Ghost Adventures Documentary where young Z.B. is armed only with a flashlight, a camera, and a dream. Then Christine did some boots on the ground journalism to bring us the case of the Harvey’s Casino Bombing, where for once no one was hurt or killed! And will someone please make Em a Rainforest Cafe River Adventure tee? …and that’s why we drink!Video Links:The Ghost Adventures DocumentaryThe Flying Brick Clip (0:20 seconds in)Catch our bonus Yappy Hour intermissions on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3L28lDw or subscribe on Patreon: http://patreon.com/ATWWDPodcast!___________________Try ZipRecruiter for free at https://ziprecruiter.com/DRINKOur listeners get the Flamingo Starter Set for just $7 at https://www.shopflamingo.com/drinkGet 40% off your first Hungryroot box plus a free item in every box for life at https://hungryroot.com/DRINK with code DRINK.Let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster—join at https://RocketMoney.com/DRINK .If you think you or someone you know might be struggling with OCD, please don’t wait to get help. Go to https://learn.nocd.com/ATTWD and book a free call with their team to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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and book an assessment today. Medcan. Live well for life. Visit medcan.com slash moments to get started. You've got woes, Christine. Oh, I got woes of plenty. You want some? I would love one, please. I'm sure you don't have enough. I'm sure you don't have enough. We've all got woes, right, folks? But some of us have woes that we didn't even realize. And one of my woes was OCD. And I was very lucky because the only reason I realized this was going to a therapist who specialized in OCD and went, girl, what do you mean you tap the inside of your door three times every time you close it? That's besides a point. We're just really happy that no CD is a sponsor. And when we started this podcast and I was talk about the woes, I was in the throes of OCD and trying to figure out how to manage it. I never thought we'd have no CD as a sponsor someday.

Not every therapist understands OCD or is qualified to treat it effectively, which can make it difficult to find the right help. But OCD is highly treatable with a specialized type of therapy called ERP or exposure and response prevention. And with no CD you can do live virtual ERP therapy with licensed therapists who specialize in OCD. So no CD therapists are highly trained and they really understand OCD and won't judge you no matter what your thoughts are about. And their therapy is covered by insurance for over 155 million Americans. I mean, use it. Hell yeah. If you think you were someone you know might be struggling with OCD, please don't wait to get help. Go to nocd.com and book a free call with their team to learn more. That's NOCD.com to schedule a free call and learn more. Can you imagine if we threw a baby shower for a 40-year-old woman and a tagged sub recruiter?

Without like getting her permission or like any sort of any sort. By the way, a child free lesbian woman, like someone who's like not even in. That'd be very funny. Oh, I think it's a good idea. I literally actually want to do it so bad. We can have parapods host it. Literally, that could be our first, like, big networking event. Oh, a retreat. We should do a retreat and then surprise her with the baby shower part.

You know what? I never had a stork-themed baby shower. We can make that happen for all of us at once. Did people ever have that? No, but I feel like it had a lot of 90s birthday. They had the big stork, though, as like the, imagery. Or they had like the wooden one outside the door. That creepy gigantic wooden one. What is what that? It had like all the stats of the baby. So weird. I would like to have a big wooden bird in my yard that tells all my stats right now. Would you? Maybe I'll just get like one of those plastic flamingos and a scroll and I'll just see it in it now. Well, yeah. Okay. It'll just say like six feet tall. I'm all right. I like burgers. You want to get a burger. I'm going to get like a big woodpecker.

And I'm going to say, actually, wait, hang on. Where's the grackles this time of year? Because I think. What are grackles? Are you speaking German again? It's English. Oh, my mistake. You know how I feel about English.

I guess we're in the bit now. So we're rolling by accident, I guess. I need everyone to understand that we're talking about storks, which, depending on how much Jack leaves in, you'll know that already. But we're talking about like stork themed. Well, we're talking about throwing a baby shower for Eva as the baby. To be clear, she's not having a child. She's getting married.

So she is the baby. To the lover of her life, she's good. But she's the baby in this hypothetical, but quickly becoming real realistic event we're hosting, which is a peripod's retreat, baby shower of Eva being brought by zipper. It's sponsored by ZipRecruiter. Yeah, ZipRecru is going to pay for it. They're going to pay for the whole thing. She doesn't know, though.

Yeah, ZipRecruiter doesn't know either. But they are going to both be. heavily involved. Exactly. Yeah. So it all makes sense now. And based on that, Em said, oh, well, I never really had a stork themed baby shower. And I said, I guess, yeah, we talked about how that was a 90s.

It's still a thing. But, like, it was a thing where people would put the big stork outside with the baby stats. And M was like, I want a big bird with my stats. And for some reason, instead of just like, hey, maybe we can rent a stork and was like, I know, I'll get a flamingo with a scroll. And I was like, well, I was trying to like, how do we judge it up from the 90s? It was like you parallel jumped both the stats and the bird to like two other things. And my brain was like, wait, wait, wait, wait.

Well, and the stats would be interesting because the stats when you're a baby are so long. It's like, oh, all 10 toes. And I'm like, I still have those, first of all. I should put that on the flamingo. I should say we still have the toes. They don't put all 10 toes on the like stats. And then also like a QR code to like feet picks, you know, just in case people want to check.

Oh, my God. I thought you were going to say to the baby registry and then it got so dark. Oh, a baby registry for an adult. That sounds fine. First of all, there is no way in hell that your mother did not throw some sort of baby. Oh, you're saying as you as the parent didn't receive the party. I don't really. You have to sure have had the staff.

Linda, if anyone got a fucking giant wooden stork to announce their baby's arrival, it was Linda. So don't even act like you didn't have one of those. I think hers was more like a firework ceremony over like a popular city. Like she like a mid-sized metropolitan area. Yeah, I feel like the Pope came to town. So I think she wasn't paying attention to like the wooden bird. Oh, that was like small. That was like children's play.

Yeah. Small potatoes, I think. Gotcha. But you want the classic. You want a flamingo holding a scroll. And that's, it's like, you want to relive that. I get it. You see.

Well, also, it could be like, it couldn't, it won't have to be like pink. It'll be like rainbow stork, you know. It would be glow in the dark so people could still see the at night. Of course. I'm not an idiot. What am I an idiot? I'm an idiot. If you had, if you had to have.

a flamingo with a scroll in his mouth to announce your current stats, what stats would it be, you're still your weight maybe. All 10 toes. All 10 fingers. Yeah, I'm still, well, I was six ounces or whatever. I was really fucking heavy. I think I was like 11 pounds. Actually, you know what?

That's another thing that my mother would always say like you were an 11 pound baby. And then I found my birth to have like eight pounds and 10 ounces. And I was like, on the one hand, I'm relieved. On the other hand, I'm like, why would you just keep exaggerating how gigantic I was? What is the psychology there and what is it saying about your subconscious, like, view of me, 11-pound baby and I was like eight pounds. I don't know. Anyway.

Well, it's like eight was just your head. The three, the rest of you was her little legs. It could be. I was a C-section. Anyway, I forget what you were talking about. What your stats would be on a flamingo scroll. And then we can step away from this. But I do need to know what you would know.

If you get to choose, because the thing is like the baby never got to choose. Like, can you imagine if there's a baby who's so insecure about her weight? And she's like, I really don't want to start to tell everybody. in the neighborhood. Like that was water weight. Yeah. Please back up. I had a big, big week.

It was bloat. It was bloat. Yeah. So now with autonomy to write whatever you want on the scroll. Oh, that's really beautiful. Take it back. Reclaiming my time is what I'll call the flamingo. That's a great question.

So they usually have birth, date, time, weight, length. Oh, length, yeah. And then the gender or the sex of the baby. So I'm trying to think like what you. would put, I don't want any of those, I don't think, on mine. You don't want your birthday so people could come bring you presents? No, because I feel like people already do. No, that sounds, no, not in a nice way.

No, that sounds bad. That sounds worse. What I'm trying to say is sometimes... We got her, folks. We got her. What I'm trying to say is that there are a couple of people in my personal life who just don't really understand the concept of boundaries. And so I've really been trying to like set a perimeter that's like impenishable.

I feel like the stats need to maybe be a little more threatening maybe or like a little more grandiose rather than like invitational. So you need more like a raven than a flamingo. Oh, I love this. Yeah. Or like a, I don't know, what's a scary bird? Is there like a. Wrackle sounds horrible.

A grackle. Those are, those are, they have these big beady eyes. So yeah, kind of. Or like just a gargoyle. I was thinking gargoyle. And then I was like, that's not a bird. but I'm glad you said it because I think that would really do the trick. Okay.

Well, I mean, if you ever need me to help you come up with stats, you can write your favorite line? My stats would be like black belt. Oh. I would make stuff up. Oh, oh, oh, oh. So it'd be like, it wouldn't be a scroll. It'd be like a dry erase. It would be a threat.

Change it up. Okay. Perfect. What would your stats be? I'm assuming the same if not. You're the similar if not the same. I think mine would be, I don't know, it depends on my mood. If I was feeling whimsical like today, it would say like what my last dream was.

Oh, that's cool. Or like a conversation starter in case next time people see me out and about. They're like, oh, my God, I had that dream too. We should meet in dream world. Well, then how would they know where you live? Well, the flamingos in the yard, just like the wooden stork was. Oh, so they would like find you and be like, see, this is again why I just don't like the invitational stuff.

But I guess if you're trying to meet people, that's a better way to do it. Well, the trick is that in the flamingo, its eyes are cameras. I know. Same in the gargoyles, ma' house. Oh my God, we had the same idea. I like that we silently planned that ourselves. Well, I did. And then I was like, same with mine that I'm inventing hypothetically.

If I don't like what I'm overhearing, then, you know, it also has like a squirting flower like a clown. I was going to say it starts squirting. And it's like we're on the same wavelength. Trust. What? Come on. Please. Holy shit.

Unsurprising to this. Please. Anyway, if you happen to be in a neighborhood, you'll know when there's a flamingo with stats about me. And it is so that way next time I run into you, we have. have something to talk about it. I like that the stats are about you are like, I had this weird dream last night. It's like, I'll also, you know what? Another thing that the sork doesn't have, we're 28 minutes into this. Um, I, I, holy shit. Is that there's, there's, there's never any,

um, space for people to also write their own stats on there so we can compare and contrast. I don't like that. Oh. I'd like to leave a little space where it's like, you know, now share something about you. What do you believe when it comes to like, are there ghosts? What did you dream about last night? Yeah. What's your like, secret? recipe that I can have so I can try it at home. Are you planked in this hypothetical, M? This feels like a big elaborate prank. What is the crabby-patti formula?

This is just a flamingo, not me. Here are my stats. Wink. Give me your social security number right here. No one's looking. Smooth. Wow. That was a really nice time.

That was a nice time we had. What else? Anyway, what's next on the agenda? Okay. I would like to say real quick that the reason I drink this week, first of all, I drink a refillable cup of a refillable Disney World mug from Art of Animation because I went to Disney World and it was awesome. I'm so proud of you. Did you, was this your first time?

One. So I'm glad you asked because I'm a little conflicted about it. I went when I was four, but it was because my parents had a, my dad had a steel convention in town. So they very briefly like brought us to the park and we did a couple rides. So like technically my second. but it was my first like real like you know visit visit i understand what you're saying i went when i was seven um and that was also the day my grandpa died so um happy at these plays on earth oh my god i think that's why my parents sent me there i think they're like let's put them in the

happy she's dying we already knew it was happening so i don't it wasn't like oh big shock of the day they're like let's get out of here we're like let's put let's put you over here and i'm going to go to the hospital and and we'll figure it up from there Cool. Yeah. But so the last time I was there, I was like, oh, grandpa died. They told you that there, though? Yeah, but I, I don't know. My relationship with death has always been interesting because I heard about it and then I went, oh, okay. And then I just kept it moving. That's why I love the show. We're like, oh, Disney World is so cool. My relationship with death is actually really interesting. Thanks for reminding me. I feel bad. I feel like I, I, um, upstaged you by accident. I was trying to relate. We've both been to Disney. I'll be honest, anything that happens at Disney World is like amplified, I feel.

It's either amplified or it's like dulled. And I bet your parents were hoping it would be kind of dulled or muddied. But I think over time that kind of like makes it almost worse because you're like, ooh, that feels like something bad happened in the midst of the magical time, you know? Well, I felt because so Allison and I went to Universal for the day in Florida. And never been there in Florida. I'm more of a universal person. Well, over there, they've got like a whole like Avengers thing going on. And they've had that since the 90s, which is fun.

So it's like retro marble. It's very fun. But so I haven't been to Disney though. So one, I want to note that it's very precious at the last time you were there. You were Leonas age. Crazy. I'm, okay, this, that's exactly what I was going to say next because I'm glad you said that. This is, I have goosebumps again.

This is the craziest thing. We were sitting, maybe it's not. But to me, it was really weird. We were sitting by the pool. I didn't even, to be honest, know how old I was the last time I went. I assumed like three, four or something like that. My mom, I said, can you go see if you can find any pictures this week of me at Disney? And we can like compare, you know, the Leona pictures.

And she sends me a few photos like a half an hour later. And I'm looking through and I see the date at the bottom. And it's like November 16, 1995. And I was like, oh, okay, how cute. So I was four. And so it turns out I was four, I'm going to try to remember here. I might be wrong. four years, five months, 13 days, something like that.

And then this like weird nagging thought. I put my phone down and I was like, check what, check one Leona. Check Leona's age to the day. No. I googled. I don't use, I don't really try to use AI ever anymore, but I just got on a free one. And I said, can you calculate the date that Leona would be four years five? I didn't say Leona.

But I said if someone was born this date, what? What day would they be four years, five months, 13 days? What the fuck? It was Wednesday when we were at Disney World. Yo. I really, okay, thank you for saying that because I was looking around like, and I told Blaze's parents in there like, oh, how weird. And I was like, yo, I'm freaked out. I'd be tripping for the rest of the day.

I'd be like, it's like you literally get to see both perspectives, like, of like what you saw then and what you see now. And it's so weird because like I didn't realize how much this kind of. was like a healing thing for me because when I was little, we went and I remember so vividly coming home and being like, I want to go again, but like for real, like really go and like spent the day. And I remember like really wanting to go back. And my parents always said, oh, like when you're, when you're eight, when you're nine, when you're 10. And then they got divorced, want, want. And the Disney thing never happened. And I remember, you know, kind of feeling sad about that. And then when we planned this trip, I thought, okay, well, this will be fun. I'll get to kind of like relive,

you know, and as I got closer, I got, I had so much fun getting Leona ready, you know, she's like really into the princesses. And I was like, let's just go all in. So we were doing like, we were like planning what we were going to say to Elsa and Anna, you know. And so we had such a good time planning. And I was like, I feel like I'm like healing myself a little bit because I got to just total. And I get it. This is the big thesis statement is that I now like, fuck me. I get it. I understand the Disney thing. Okay. I went. I was like, I kept saying to Blaze, oh, shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. And he's like, did they get you? And I was like, I think they got me. I get it. I'm like tearing up, watching her like meet Minnie Mouse in her mini mouse dress. And I'm like, oh no, it's happening. What your favorite, like, do you know what the thing was that ignited the feeling in you? Is that a stupid question? No, not at all. I mean, I, there's a photo of my mom and me on the teacup when we were little. And we did that with Leona. Blaze and I did. And we got a photo and I remember standing there and looking and going, wait a minute, this is where my dad stood when he took that photo of me and my mom. And so it was a little bit like, whoa, this is so

trippy. And again, like on the same day as when she turned that age, it was just very weird. Anyway. That's amazing. Yeah, it was cool. And I feel like it was a very healing event. It was one of the best trips ever. And I feel like I never thought I would say that about a family trip to Disney World. Not that I wouldn't love to go, but like, typically, like, that's not necessarily my thing. But now I'm like, oh, hell, yeah. I was running around with my orange soda in my refillable cup, like, beep, beep in my little, like, this pass and this pass. And I was like, oh, yeah, I'm getting it. I'm getting in the groove.

I love a theme park. It does something, I don't, like, I told you before that when I first got into, like, building sets and props and everything, it came from my love of, like, sets and amusement parks. I thought about you a lot because I was like, oh, I can understand. Because like in the Star Wars part too, where I was like, oh, I can see if this were like, like, like, Avengers or this were something like M, you know, I can see how like much that would affect you or like be exciting or be cool. They're like, you're like, you've literally plucked into like a world that you've seen so many times on a flat screen. It's like, oh, I'm literally, I get to feel like I'm here. Yeah. It's really, I love like the magical world building elements.

I do too. I'm glad that you had that feeling. That's a really nice euphoric experience to have. Yes. Thank you. It was very grounding and fun and just like I just was like I'll just go with the flow. And can I tell you something too? The amount of weird synchronicities I ran into like four listeners, I think, throughout the two or three days we were there. And all of them were just so it was almost like every time I met someone, it was like, oh,

I felt like I needed to have this chat or this conversation. And if I did meet you there, you know who you are because we probably had quite. There were a couple of people who did, I think one or two knew I was going to Disney because I brought it up on Beach 2 Sandy. But there was, there were two people who were like, I was staring at you like, is that Christine? Why is she in Florida? And then this one person, this one woman who was in front of us at my new favorite ride. Oh, wait, no, that was not her. that was at the frozen we met Anna and Elsa and Elsa was like mom that's Christine you what

would you say no no we were in line for Elsa sorry and the woman in front of us Lindsay she turns and she goes mom that's Christine and I was like hello and we ended up being in like the same little room and my and my mother-in-law was with us and she we just had the best time and then Leona and her daughter were watching Dino Ranch on the phone while we waited in line and I was like, this is so, like, wholesome. And we got to chat and stuff. And, um, and she was like, is M here? And I was like, I think she was kidding. But I was like, honestly, I don't know, probably. Um, I do move in silence. You do move. And you do like, love a theme park. So I was like, maybe. Um, I said, maybe M's at the one in L.A. And then we'd be like kind of parallel.

But cosmic. The wildest one, I think to me, was that I, I have a new favorite ride. Not that I had a first favorite ride. I have a favorite ride and it's the runaway railroad. Mickey's runaway railroad. I've heard that's a good one. I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't know what I was talking about either. And I was like, whatever, we'll just go on it. The other part was my in-laws planned it. They've done Disney. His dad worked at ESPN. So they have like the discount. They handled the whole thing, which was great because I just got to show up and be a kid again and be like, wee, I'm just here for the ride. So I went on that railroad thing. And I was like, this is my favorite ride. It's like vintage. They have all the vintage like Mickey Minnie and like it's just really fun to watch and then like with

Daisy you're doing like the cha cha-cha and Leona was like cracking up we were just having great time we get off and this woman walks up and goes Christine she recognized me and she goes do you want to do it one more time and I was like what and I was like are you sure like I don't I don't I was just so stunned and Leona goes yes and so later was like I don't know how the two of you know each other but Give me on that goddamn right. And by the way, I don't care. So step aside. Like, Mom, you've got friends everywhere.

This works out really well. Exactly. She was like, is that your podcast friend? And I was like, yeah. And I just want to say to, oh, my gosh, I met so many, so many kind people. But Katie at the runaway railroad who works there. Thank you for your kindness. I hope I'm allowed to say this about you helping me get Leona on the ride.

I don't know. Hopefully you're not going to get in trouble for that. Maybe we- Shink Katie doesn't work there anymore, right? Wink, wink, wink. It's a shame that it was a totally different ride and a different park also. And your name's not Katie, you gave us a pseudonym. I did use a fake name.

And so then I got onto the thing again with Leona and I tried to take a selfie with the employee. But she didn't realize it and she was moving. So there's this photo of me and then like this blur in the background. And I'm like, this is the worst like photo ever. I'm sure Katie's stoked that you were trying to take a picture. I hope so. But I'm going to say, if you're, Katie, if you're out there, DM me, you probably, might have already done. I haven't checked, but I'll send you that photo and I'll send it to,

for the social media because it's very funny. But thank you. And you made, by the way, you made my day so much more magical. You made Leona's and we left and I bought Runaway Railroad, my first ever ears, like my first ever ears. And I thought, I'll see that, I'll know it when I see it. And then I saw the railroad. And it's a train. And I was like, oh my God, it's a railroad themed. That's very perfect. Anyway, thank you, Katie. Anyway, that's all to say. I had a wonderful time. I'm so appreciative of everyone I met, and now ends turn to talk. People are probably going to ask, because I think this is like a, of my Disney adult friends, one of the first questions I always ask me is like, what's your favorite, like world or town?

Like, they've got like, I know, I know, I obviously am not a Disney adult because I don't even know what right worded it. Have you been to Epcot? That was my first time at Epcot. Cool. Nice. No, have you been, though? Well, because I was going to ask you about the worlds. And then I remembered that I did go to Disney with Allison back in October for a day.

And then we did Universal. But the Disney one, my favorite was Tune Town. Oh, I didn't go to Tune Town. Oh, you would have gone to that. Where is Tune Town? It's, um, girl, I don't know. It's in Disney World. Hey, drive me to Tune Town.

Directions to Tune Town, please. Get me Tune Town. Well, because they, that's where you like, beep, beep. that it's if you like set design stuff it's like immersive and it's like where you go to like mickey's house and minnie's house and you can walk through and like it literally looks like everything is like i'm looking at eyes it's a real house but all cartoon eyes it's very crazy oh it says it only oh tune town

well there's one in l a day but not in oh fuck disney so you didn't even have a chance well next time if you ever take leona to disneyland hell yeah a spot um i'm very happy for you christian i don't want I don't mean to like harp on this or anything, but I also, as someone who loves an amusement park, it's very warming to hear you have that experience. I feel like I'm really growing a lot as a person and just saying, you know what, I'm just going to go with the flow. And hey, I fucking love Disney now. I mean, I don't love Disney.

But I loved going to Disney World, you know, and it was awesome. And as someone who fears parenthood, I am so impressed you had so much fun with a child. Oh, like I feel like that would be. Do you know that that was the best part is I think that Leona, now that she's. four, there's something about that age, sorry, specifically four years, five months, and 13 days. Right, right, right, right. There's something about the age where she's like, she like gets it. So, like, if there's a long line and I'm like, oh, the ride's just delayed, she's like, oh, okay. It's not like, why? Like, it's like she has more reason. Yes, yeah. She's like a kid. And it's more like,

Oh, we can, and we have, we, um, Leon and I now have like inside jokes and stuff. So really what you're telling me is parenthood, the fears that I have and the, the, the, the burdens I'm scared of taking on are really only like three years old, like three years long. That's literally how I felt. And then I was like, that's probably totally wrong. But in my mind, like the first three years are beautiful in their own way, but they're very hard. And it's still hard. Don't get me wrong. Sure. But there's something about the independence of like the preschool. where she, like, we went to see Crush the Turtle and she, we sat her down in the front with the kids and then like 10 minutes in, she stood up, walked right to the front and sat down

in front of, she's like, there was a spot open and I wanted a better view. And we were like, for you, girl. I don't know. So, and we went to the pool party at night and she like made like, a little older girl was like helping her like guess the answers to the like name that tune and just like watching her play. And I just got to kind of lay there and like listen to a podcast. And I was like, this is the kind of parent I can handle a lot better. That does feel very lovely. It was really, and we stayed up until like 10 p.m.

And like, you know, she stayed up late and we went to bed and slept in our Nemo themed bed. I mean, it was the best week of my life, too. I think I was reparenting myself in the process. But it was a very lovely time. So I'm going on so long. I'm so sorry. That's okay. I mean, I encourage it.

Also, I, if this is me upstaging you again, I'm really trying to work. Please don't. I need to balance this out with you talking a little bit. I'm really, it's, I know it's like an ADHD like stereotype and I'm really trying to work on it. But I always think that I'm coming across as like relatable where I'm like, oh, I know. I mean, that's how I see it. But then it comes across as like, oh, I'm trying to like one up you. No, I know many very, very active one upers and I don't consider you to be one of them. Thank you.

That's very nice. Well, just because I haven't gotten to send this to anybody before when I was at Universal, Universal was like my the most incredible thing to me when I was a little kid. And I hadn't been since I was a little kid. And when we were there in October, Allison helped me recreate like pictures from when I was a little bit there. That's cute. So I'm just going to send you one. Please, please, please.

We can put it up if people care to see that. But it was just very fun to like walk around like have like memory. You know? Isn't that precious? Okay. That's so cute. and also like you can see the like the resemblance in your face like the facial expression. It's like you still know how to make that same face.

That's crazy. Well, thank you. Well, I was going everywhere and I was like, oh, I have a memory. And I remember I digitized all my mom's picture. So I was like scrolling through like that one year. Oh, my God. Yes. I was like, let's take a picture here.

Let's take a picture here. Oh, we got to put you know what? And we can post like my vintage Disney and your vintage. I mean, it's like 30 years ago. But yeah, we can post our vintage. And you post a picture of you and Leona. with each other, like, at the same age? Yes, because, like, we have photos of the same, yeah, that means weird to the same day. Like, that was weird. And I, I kept, like, having this

nagging feeling, and I was like, that would be too weird. Like, that would be, it's probably, like, a month off. And then it was, like, to the day and I went, this can't be right. That's literally, like, the most synchronicity. It was so crazy. Um, anyway, oh my God, I love these photos. I'm, I love the reenactment. I wish I had thought of that next time. Yeah. No, I, uh, that was, I love a enactment. Anyway. Okay. Also, we, is, I assume that's why you drink. What do you drink? Oh, that refillable Disney mug full of orange Fanta. Can we see the mug? I don't have it right now because I left it downstairs and it's not full of Fanta right now. Oh, you're a dirty liar. I know, but that's what I drink for about four days and it's probably still running through my bloodstream. So I think, and I will say I had a

D. Pepe and it was this big and I drink it all. So that's my other. Thank you so much. Um, My drink is at the door. So I'll be right back. Go get it. And then we're going to tell a spooky story. Let's do it. You know, things change rapidly, okay? And you never know what the latest trend in hiring is until you're hiring.

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Someone was a bad boy yesterday at the park. No, it couldn't be Hankies. It couldn't be. Oh, a lot of people asked

about Hank. What's that? A lot of people asked about Hank because I was like, I would meet people and they were like Oh, how's him? How's Hank? And I was like, I haven't even met Hank.

He's a, I got a little loose. You see that girl? Oh, I see her. She's having a fucking dance party. She literally said, you can't tame me. To give everybody the update since I wasn't there, Floridians, Hank is good, but he has been a bad boy. And so. Couldn't be.

I don't know what's going on with him. He's having a little, he's having a week. And everyone at the doctor. Park is very patient with him, but I have to remind him because we go to the small dog park and he's a big boy. I think today we're going to take him to the big dog park and humble him a little bit and remind him to a guest at the small dog park. Sometimes he's got to say this is how it works.

You've got to treat others how you want to be treated. He was being a little too rowdy. And usually he's very good at gauging. And if like a dog like checks him on it, he'll stop. But he has been a little rambunctious. A little too much. He does the thing. I feel like I'm like a parent who's like defending horrible behavior and I'm not trying to but for context.

He thinks he's playing but he looks like he wants to fucking mall you and like it's right, right, right. And I'm like, I don't know. I would love to know how to train that out of him and I don't know how. But he like lunge and like like doesn't actually physically like them. Oh yes. Yeah. Yeah. And he does that but he's also a fucking rock rider and a small dog park where like kind of like his haunches are.

Yeah. I know exactly. He and Gio would probably just go in circles like that. I hope. I would hope so. And his best friends there are like little dogs who like that. And so like those little dogs are like, oh, give it to me. And they like fuck them up. And he eats it up. But then when those dogs aren't there. Oh, and the ones are like, what the fuck are you doing? Yeah. He tries to do with the other dogs. It's like you can't, you have to. You have to ease everybody into it. Yeah. You have to pick and choose when you do that shit. Right. Anyway, he's in time. currently. Oh, baby. Okay, this is arguably one of the best um, copics we will ever come. Do you, well, do you remember what is supposed to happen today? Not even. Oh, wait. No. Okay. So if you recall in our last episode, we discussed the Goldfield Hotel. Yes, I remember that.

I have a recap for you because I know you don't remember what happened. Um, it was a hotel and it was called Goldfield and there was a gold rush era. Well, shit. I know. Can you believe that? It's like I don't have to be here. It's like I got an A on the test. Well, I say there's no way you remember because there was, I didn't remember either.

So I was like, what the hell happened? So I had to go back and look through my notes. And just for other people who did. Oh, there was a lady in white. No, I'm kidding. Well, there was a lady for sure. You know her as, um, fuck what's her name, Elizabeth. Because remember the guy who owned this very

luxurious Gold Town Hotel. He chained her to a radiator. Yes. He got her pregnant, although he was married to somebody else, and so nobody would find out in town. He stole her away in the night and hid her in one of his hotel rooms. Changer to a radiator. Through her pregnant, throughout her pregnancy and then oh. And then killed, and then when she gave birth to the baby, which you make a great point of like, why need you just kill her immediately. Yeah. But through the pregnancy and then killed her and the baby and threw them down one of the mine shafts connected to the hotel. My only guess now that we bring back up throwing the baby down. You know, now that we're discussing it again, now that we're unpacking that again.

Thank God. Thanks for the reminder. I wonder if it is one of those things where the baby's born and he's like, it's not a boy or it looks just like me and I don't want everyone to know. I mean, I don't know. Maybe he was trying to find a way to be like, we can make this work. Maybe he found out that it wasn't his. Oh.

Maybe he went. Em. Holy shit. Maybe that little baby had like some red hair or something. Because like it's not like he doesn't have an, it's not like he has an anger problem or anything changing chaining her to a fucking bedroom or whatever. You see. You see. I see. I understand.

At any rate, he allegedly killed them both or at least hired somebody else to do it and handle it for him. Where we left off and why this is so special and why you're about to be so excited, Christine, is because the last thing I said was that after the 1940s, the hotel was abandoned and neglected. and then became very loved by the paranormal community. That's right. When a young man with a dream decided to film a documentary here in 2004, and that man ended up becoming the Zach Begans. And this documentary was the very first iteration of what would become ghost adventures. Let's do it.

Let's do it. It's part time. Oh, yeah. So we're going to start. 2004, it was a real year for us. We were in middle school. It was probably tough. Oh, it was fucking miserable.

I remember none of it. Do you happen to know what the topic is for you this? Like, how did you phrase the topic this week? Sure. I, that's a great thing because I'm sure Megan will want that for our episodes. And I want it just for my heart, you know. Oh, I see. Okay, well, I did title it as both Goldfield Hotel Part 2 and as well, the original Ghost Adventures

documentary, the 2004 Ghost Adventures documentary. Okay. I just wanted to know, like, I just wanted to feel that phrase in my bones for a moment. Okay. All right. This is the Goldfield Hotel Part 2, aka the original 2004 Ghost Adventures documentary. Oh, bring it on. All right.

2004. I've never seen this, by the way. Just to clarify. At least I don't believe I have. If I have, I certainly don't remember watching it. I was that saying, have you seen it? Have I seen it? Yeah, I've scoured it a little bit.

Had you seen it before this episode? And don't, I had never seen it before. I actually didn't know. I literally thought episode one of Ghosts Fentra. I did too. Because we've watched episode one a million times and we're always, it just kind of jumps into it. But here's where you're going to feel like the stupidest person on Earth, as do I. And as will everyone else who's ever only thought the first episode was the first of it.

What does fucking Zach Megan say every goddamn time? I never believed in ghosts until I came face to face with one. And that was before episode one. So something must have happened. I didn't know it was on camera, though. I just assumed he meant like when he was 10 like you and your grandpa. Well, please hold. You're half right.

Please hold. Also, don't worry. I got you. There's the link. Enjoy watching that tonight. Yo, I'm ready. It's only on Vimeo, folks, as far as I could find. If you've like a free link.

Does he not like, is he trying to find someone to like sell it to? I don't know what's going on there. Weird. And I don't know why he doesn't talk about that documentary anymore. Maybe there's something up. because he would be able to get it off of all the streaming, you know? If anyone could get it off the streaming, I'm going to buy it on Blu-ray so he can never take it away from me. Well, you know, you could just digitize anything if I find out.

It's like a YouTube and a freak of a burger at this point, you know? No, for all I know, it is accessible elsewhere, but as soon as I typed it in, and keep in mind, remember, I didn't know this going into doing the research last week on the Goldfield Hotel until someone said, oh, yeah. It was like served up to you on a beautiful silver platter. I hate Reddit. I got to think Reddit though because some random post was like, oh yeah. And that was like the topic of his documentary in 2004. And I went, what the fuck are you saying to me? And that's how we got here.

So thank you to that red. Bless you. The butterfly fact is crazy. So, okay, 2004. Spring chicken of a 27 year old man. He is now 48, by the way. 48, okay. He was 27.

He was 27. I think he had frosted tips. I'm pretty sure. Oh, of course. he did. He was lanky. He did not have his muscles yet. Wow.

And he wore blue instead of black. That is so trippy. It was just like a random man on camera. The blue is almost the most shocking part, weirdly. I literally wrote in my notes, like the most jarring thing in the world was that he was not in black. It's just the weirdest thing to picture. I can't envision it. He just looks like a guy that came out of Walperines.

Yeah, yeah. He starts the documentary. with his very first original introduction, because it wasn't his famous one. I'm so belated. It was, by the way, just as over the top. There were always signs he would be. And 2004 was like peak cringe.

So I just, oh, God. If it stayed in 2004 and then he made Ghost Adventures as the series and never did it again, I would think he was like, I'm not doing that again. That was crazy. But he clearly brought this vibe from the, original document. Oh, yeah, yeah. Okay, okay. Of course, I quoted it here for you. This is the original intro to the original Ghost Adventures. And remember, he does not look like how he used, how he currently

does. So it's even sillier because he still sounds as intense and for no reason. And he, his fit is wait. So I love that the intensity is already there, though. And he's like, I just haven't, I just haven't like. He hasn't struck gold yet. Yeah, my chrysalis hasn't quite, I haven't emerged in the full form. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. That's right. He was just the Evie and his. evolution. More like the Zibi. Shut the fuck up.

Philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said, It is the secret of the world that all things subsist and do not die, but retire little from sight and afterwards return again and again. Nothing is dead. People feign themselves dead

and endure mock funerals and mournful obituaries. And there they stand, looking out the window, sounding well in some new disguise. This secret must be told to the world. And they must tell it because they are not dead. I know this. And I'll prove it. Why chills? Why did I get that?

Why? Don't you want to just jump off a bridge? Don't you want to? I literally, I think out of total excitement for your reaction. I, you know, he really did have me at the beginning. Like with the like, like, like, okay, not at the beginning beginning. Not with Ralph Waldo Emerson. That I thought was absolutely pure lunacy.

Like, don't be fucking ridiculous, you know. You're starting off fucking insane. Like, give it a rest. But then when the quote began and I heard like, see, here I go. I'm getting chills again. Here we go. He would, okay, the way that like he would love that we still can't get enough of him. And that's what pisses me right off is like he.

He knows people are like this about him and it makes me crazy mad. Okay. So what was the part? What was the part that got you? When he said, you know, Ralph Alder Emerson, whether he said it or not remains to be seen. I suppose we should Google it before we claim it's true. But, you know, the quote about like nothing ever dies, it like disappears and returns. And I was like, what a night.

If that's like a real quote, that's like a great like tonally, very cool. And then it just kind of kept going. and I didn't know when the quote ended. Yeah, right, right, right. And so I was like, where, where's Ralph and where's Zeeby? Like, when typing it out, I had to go, I think he's done here. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, like, is this Zach now? Because I feel like we've kind of shifted tonally once again.

Yeah, people famed themselves dead and endure mock funerals and mournful obituaries. I was like, that's a Zach line, not a Emerson quote. I was like, that's a little much Ralph Waldo Emerson. And then I thought maybe that's not Ralph Waldo. Maybe that's now we're back to Zach. I don't know. Yeah, he's, and I will say as soon as I started watching, I mean, second one, that's the first thing that comes out of his mouth. And I literally immediately had to pause it.

I went, oh, I mean, I was literally just thinking, we're going like line by line. We're going to be here for 16 hours and we're not going to stop because we just can't. It's going to be bad. I just hearing his voice, but it was a different equally cringe thing. You just got to take a deep breath before continuing. I was like, you know, I got to type that out. That's going to be so annoying. God.

Anyway, so there's the opening line to the original documentary. And I'll prove it. And I'll prove it. Yeah. So he opens the documentary with him sharing his first paranormal experience. The one where he didn't believe in ghosts until he came face of face. Okay, okay, okay. Great.

And I do remember him mentioning it like once quickly in an episode. I think I've heard about it. But in this one, because of the documentary, I think he was like, we have to start from the beginning. And he literally goes to the apartment he lived in when this happened. And, like, interviews that, like, super there. It's funny how anything can be a documentary nowadays. You know what I mean? Okay, dad.

Just kidding. Okay, so he tells that it's a very serious documentary, so he has to tell us about his experience. Sure. He goes to his old apartment, and he says, well, in the room. I mean, he's in the room where he lived. And he says, in 1999, he kept waking up to a female voice saying his name at 3 a.m. And eventually it progressed where he would wake up to her floating in his room. And one time he woke up to feeling her, like, sitting on a.

was back and he felt paralyzed and then that was the night that he like fled his apartment and believed in ghosts. Do you know why I know this I think? Why? I think I know this from from Nick's like book that he wrote or whatever the fuck. Oh really? I think I like was reading I was like skimming it and I saw that it was like in a book or maybe it was that weird book we found on the internet that you bought me. Oh God that was a weird one. I wish I even knew what that was. And I think I started skimming through and I think she told that story that weird fan girl. I think I thought it was probably like fan fiction or something.

I don't think I knew it would have been real. Yeah, I'm not, maybe it was in the Nick story. Anyway, sorry, but I do remember. So the lady was showing up and she was like materializing and stuff. Yeah. Yeah.

And then in the documentary, his old landlord even says that someone once died in the apartment building. Oh. And so he now, now Zach thinks it was the woman from his favorite.

He was a child, though. He was an adult. Well, he was 22 when he had the ghost experience. Got it. And now he's 27 in this. So it was only five years before. So it's like us going to like Losulas or something.

Okay. Or K-Town. It's like us going to K-Town. So anyway, he films that, great. And then now he's come face to face with one. And now we want answers. Well, we do, certainly. Answers, answers.

So this documentary is him. It's actually, I was going to say, this is him setting off on a three-week paranormal investigation throughout Nevada. but he even says in the intro he's like, so for the first two weeks we couldn't find anything. So this is week three. Oh my God. And then this motherfucker expects us to believe

that every 20 seconds on his goddamn show, there's another demon trying to enter his body. But, oh, the first time he did it, it took two weeks. Okay. And by the way, so it was Aaron, Nick, and him in the beginning. And there's like the little clips of Aaron. And he has a full head of hair, which is insane. Wow.

But I guess by week two and nothing being there, Aaron fucking left. So the whole documentary is just him and Nick. Oh, really? Yeah, like Aaron's not bad. Wait, oh, do you think that's why? I'm serious. Zach punishes him? I think Zach punishes him.

Subconsciously, maybe. At our very first scary experience. I bet you he was like pissed off. Like you missed like you missed this thing that we were going to film and do. and then you still got to be part of it and like da-da-da-da-da-da. I bet you he's punishing him. Well, he punished him in a different way too, where I want you to know that if you were to have gotten chills at all

when watching that, like real heartwarming chills because you're like, oh, look how far they've come. It would have happened here because after he says, you know, the first two weeks, nothing happened until we got to the Goldfield Hotel. And then it cuts to black. And then the credits on the screen read, four real productions presents Zach Begans and Nick Groff

film Ghost Adventures Stop And part of me is like Cringe City But the other part of me is like Aw, that was they thought that was going to be it And it was just the beginning What was it called for

Well it was like their production company It wasn't them It was a different production company But four Four Real Productions Presents a Zach Began's And Nick Groff film Ghost Adventures

Okay Which is fact But they kicked Aaron out though Again I was going to say. I was like, because he wasn't fucking there, they probably were like, and you're not invited to the executive producer role. Oh, and you know, Aaron's had FOMO ever since, which is why he's so clingy and then like

Zach, I mean, it's so fucking up. Like men, come on. Men, men, men, men, men. Go to therapy. Well, so the hotel investigation is only Zach and Nick, like I said. And also, in at least the first few seasons of ghost adventures, he does say in the intro, he's like, with no fancy camera equipment. Oh, yeah.

And it was very cute to not have that, like, voice in my head while also watching the fact that this was in 2004 before ghost hunting was like a cool thing. Before he was friends with that Bill Chapel guy. And he had all the fancy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There was nothing fancy. Wow. Literally, it was just him and his buddy with a camera, a flashlight, a voice recorder, and a dream. And by the way, and a grudge against Aaron.

And a really lame name for their production company or. whoever's production company. But the other thing is that was also week three. And they hadn't had anything. So like they're still doing this on week three with no footage so far is crazy to me. With like two. Well also. I would have kicked Aaron out too.

Hang on. Fuck Aaron. I would have kicked Aaron out too now that I think about it. Honestly, you know what's funny is because I so desperately want to like defend ghost hunting. I'm like, well, of course they didn't get anything. They didn't have any equipment. But then I'm like, well. Yeah, I know.

It's hard. Equipment isn't real. I know, I'll never know. But yeah, they literally just had cameras in a flashlight. Maybe that the universe needed him to commit. You know, they were like, if you make it past the first two weeks, you can prove that this is. It's almost more telling. It's like, well, if you could only have one camera and that's it and you got shit, then maybe.

I guess he worked for it. Yeah. Yeah. So, okay, so now they do their very first walkthrough. Basically, they hear that there's this old Western guy that people see walking through the halls. they get people have heavy items thrown at them one person's been levitated and shoved into a wall um there was a camera crew that came in before them and like a for a different segment and i guess the camera got lifted out of the cameraman's arms by itself oh no no and one thing that

again maybe there were signs from the very beginning maybe we should be listening but one thing that Ghost Adventures witnesses here that I saw nowhere else is possession. And on their first try with only a camera, a flashlight, and a dream. Okay. Okay. Okay. So now I'm shifting again because I'm down, I'm down shifting now because I'm thinking, hang on a second. So I was all, I was all proud of them for waiting two weeks to get any footage. But then I'm like, so then you jump from nothing. Like, I don't know, man act fucking possessed. I don't know. I just, yeah, I, it, I mean, maybe it was just like so, extreme and shocking that it like worked i don't know i guess do you believe it

hmm that's a loaded question because it's like layered but i i think in this i don't know i don't know because it's too um let me put it this way i'm going to be talking about this documentary and then you get like a bonus okay bonus footage that i'm going to talk about um and i feel like at least one of these people was a phony and it could have been either. I want to, I want to believe that someone is telling the truth here. Interesting. Oh, I thought Zach gets possessed. Please hold. Oh, okay. So in this documentary, Zach and Nick, and they have a caretaker who shows them around and they all decide they're going to try to do a seance here. Of course. Of course. Immediately they hear sounds upstairs and they get freaked out, which I love finally seeing Zach

freaked out because he was new to this still. In genuine, genuine. fashion. That's really refreshing. And after two weeks of nothing, he was probably like, oh, my God. He was probably like, wait, wait, hold on. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And the caretaker during the seance and now sounds are happening upstairs as if they just stirred something up, now the caretaker is acting a little possessed. Oh, ew. She starts saying really odd things, none which were juicy enough for me to write down.

But she started saying odd things and acting kind of out of character. And later on, they interview her and she had no recollection of that. So she says. Weird. She was also the caretaker who was levitated and shoved into a wall. So I don't know about her credibility. But she could be telling the truth. I don't fucking know.

But then they do playback on their 2004 digital camera. Oh my God. And they catch a shadow and they're able to somehow debunk that it's not their shadow. So I think that might be like the Western guy that everyone sees. They hear sounds and Zach is freaked out again. which again, so refreshing. And, but also it's because he didn't have all of his muscles to protect him yet. True.

And he wasn't like ready to like punch the ghosts right around now. He was probably more in flight rather than fight. He didn't have all of his tattoos to, you know, to threaten everyone. Make him look really scary. Yeah. He didn't have all the crosses tattooed on him. So he didn't have a protection. Oh my God.

Finally he has his amulets in his body. Like he's fucking iron man. Okay. So I did write down his response when he got freaked out because there were like really creepy sounds going on. And I'm going to assume that they weren't faking it. I would genuinely believe that he was scared in this instance. Yeah. He seems genuinely scared. And also because like they didn't have a series where like they had like, you know, to keep ratings high or anything. And everyone, he has this persona know that that everyone knows now. And it's kind of assumed that maybe not all of those. He might be like, more just authentically reacting. I think he was really hearing actual sounds and freaking out. And this is what he said. He said, okay, we hear you. We hear you, okay?

And we don't think you're very nice. But we have no, we have no fear of you. Wow. He's like a little tiger cub. Like, roar. He was like Simba's first roar. Yes, exactly. Oh, my God.

We hear you, okay. We hear you. And I'm not scared at all. That was the day he hit the gym, by the way. Wow, wow, wow. That was the day he hit the gym, is how he said. He was like, something's got to change. So the next thing that happens is the thing that I think made this documentary very successful.

I am going to. I mean, not successful enough that it's anywhere streamable, but okay. Right. Well, no, this was the thing that I think. But he probably got him his show, right? Whoever saw it at like a casting or some sort of production company. Like submitted as a pitch or something. It became, they were like, okay, we're going to give you a shot.

We're going to give it a shot. Wow. So this is the clip. I want you to go to 20 seconds. And I want you to look at the bottom left corner during this clip. But I will preface it by saying, this is after he just heard all those sounds and he's super freaked out. And they go into this room that's unfinished. and there's a bunch of like abandoned like bricks and lumber and it looks like kind of like a construction zone.

It's just like untouched basement stuff. Okay. And you said to go to. So this is, uh, look where the flashlight is showing you said. Okay, 20 seconds. Here we go. And we'll put the link to this in the show notes. Yes.

Is that you making all the noise? Oh, my. That scared me. Was that a brick end? It was a brick. Yeah. I was about, I was about saying, oh, it was probably a bat or something. That would be funny, but no.

Is that you making all the noise? Holy shit. There are things in this world that we will never understand. You want answers? I'm so pissed off at Aaron right now. Literally, you know that they were screaming. They called Aaron in the car later. You know they manifested.

They manifested all this activity just to be, like, Like, fuck you, Aaron. I literally, you know that when Aaron saw that footage, oh, he went, fucking, thank God. Yeah. Honestly, though, and then he's been punished ever since, you're probably right. So, yeah, for those who don't know. Crazy. For those who don't know, we did, we are going to post the link, but in case you are not,

that's not accessible to you. Basically, he's in a room. He's already freaked out. He's saying, I'm not scared of you. And then a brick literally levitates like a foot off the ground and then flies us. It just like gets chucked from, but you see it. It's like on the floor and then it just like gets chucked toward them. It like it looks like it looks like a, like it looks like it looks like it's levitating and flying on its own.

It's crazy. It's like. It's like someone through it, but like from the floor. That's. It's like. I mean, yeah. Oh yeah. Really.

That's what it looks like. That's crazy. And so it like something through a brick at them. Oh, and they are scared. It's not like they're like doing any. hijinks here. You can, there's no hijinks here, you can tell. The screams from Zach are like never before. And that's probably why he banned it from the internet. Well, I was going to say, Zach, I pray to God you never hear this episode, by the way. But if you were to, I motion for you to

bring back screaming like a little girl because it made it so much more believable. Yes, totally believe. Be scared, man. There's no way you're not scared. Just be scared. It's okay. I just envisioned us someday in a court, like having to watch this on the TV with the jury watching because we've been sued by Zach Begans. That's funny, because I see us in jail. Yeah, okay. Also watching Zach Begans still. You know, in like the settlement, he'd be like, they're going to jail for the rest of our lives.

And also, you have to play this. And also, this is the only thing able to be play on movie night. Yeah. I'm going to watch this brick one more time. Is that you making all the noise? The weird thing is that it does cut right before it, though. It does. Let me see.

Is that you making all the noise? Holy shit. It's pretty crazy. What if that was Aaron all along and they were just like, oh, he went missing and he's just thrown bricks. He's just in the corner waiting, yeah. He was just the first person to like fake an event. Then he probably does deserve the punishments he's been getting. It's karma for a global karma.

That's right. So basically they get freaked out and they sprint away. Like I've never seen like the camera. It's 2004. It looks like the Blair Witch. It's just running down a hall. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then he's literally hiding.

Zach is in just hiding in a room. And screaming. And you can... It's so obvious why he's not letting this be played on the internet. It's cracking me up to the extent of my... This is beautiful. He's horrified, horrified. And I don't blame him.

I'd be horrified, too. You're in a ghost town where there's a population of, like, maybe 500 people. You just got a brick thrown at you in a basement and, like, you're by yourself. You went there on purpose! Hello. We've also done it on purpose and good thing got scared for sure. Remember the Queen Mary? We were...

We left before midnight. Let's not act like we are. All right. I'll give him a break this one time. We, that Denny's, by the way. I didn't sign up for the fucking. You're right. And I do believe that we, I think we've kind of hinted to each other. We haven't quite outright discussed it. Maybe we have that maybe something dark did sort of kind of come with us after that. Because we had a few years of some bizarre. Bizarre stuff for sure.

Well, yeah. We can relate to Zach then because I'm sure he thinks the Goldfield Hotel has put a curse on him. Okay, he thinks a lot of places have put a curse on him, though. This would be the beginning. He'd probably be right. The first crack in the concrete. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So he is hiding and screaming, which defeats the purpose of hiding.

Okay, good point. We just needed to say that, not the other shit. And then Nick is in another room hiding, screaming. And so they're both hiding in different rooms, but screaming across the hallway at each other. And they're literally screaming, I want to go home. I don't want to be here. I want to go. Aw.

And then you hear a door. very loudly. The room that Zach's hiding in, the door moves by itself. Yeah. You hear the creak of it. Oh. And Zach literally screams and they leave immediately. And when I say leave, this was back in the day where they would literally get locked in the building so they could not leave and they jumped out of the fire escape. The second floor. No. They were gone. They were so scared. Oh my God. They jumped out of a fucking fire escape to get out of there. Although you know what I think is extra silly is that they like didn't for for people who were running

away. They did film themselves climbing out of the firescape. I'm like, you still have time to, like, set it up. Oh, they said. And then they'd have run back in to grab the camera probably. I don't know. Okay. I can't wait to watch this tonight. I'm going to have so much commentary in my own head. I don't even know what I'm going to do with it. Maybe I'll bring it to our next yappy hour. Maybe you should. You should. They also like at the end of the, he doesn't do this anymore. But they had experts, like, AV experts come in to check the footage to see like if, that brick was like what could it? Oh, cool. And the experts paid or not did say that it looked like the footage had not been tampered with. Okay. Although it has been highly contended. And I have seen videos online of like guides going through and getting to that room and going, oh, and that's where Zach fake the brick video. It's like, oh, okay. I see, I didn't even know this was part of the

lore. And I, I wonder. Well, that's who made the hotel so famous. Yeah. I know now is so. I can't have I missed this whole chapter of his life, but I will say, uh, we're close. Yeah. Yeah, you know, I'm familiar with all the other chapters. So it's so weird. But the, the one thing I'll say is at least from where the timestamp was, there is a very strange cut like right before it. So I do, I do just want to rewatch it like in full. And I don't mean to say, because of course you have to cut in footage and it's, I'm not saying. But I want to just kind of watch it later and see like, I have no opinion. I think it's scary as fucking. It's fucking. terrifying. And he acts terrified. I mean, he sounds terrified. I don't think he could fake a scream like that. He seemed really, really scared. Yeah. So then his closing statements in this documentary, by the way, because he had opening and closing statements. He goes. Is it Ralph Waldo Emerson again? No, this is all Z. He goes, how close is too close. I think we answered that. There are no, there are more answers of life after death trapped inside that.

hotel than can be imagined. And if you try to get too close and searching what lies beyond your last breath, you just may hit a brick wall or it may hit you. Okay, Zach, that one I like. That can say. Now, what happened between then and... The gym? I love roses. I love roses. You are a pink rose. What the fuck? Roses, roses. What the fuck happened? Bud? Like, you really nail. it. That was beautiful. I mean, artful. And I'll also say like pre-AI, you know, like, that is just like poignant from the soul. It just may hate you. Oh, it's good. You, you know what, you know in the car, he was already writing that down. He's like, I've got it. He's like Aaron's going to fucking, he's going to be, he's going to have such fomo.

Well, so then get this. They even put this at the end of their segment too. They say like, oh, after our thing came out, other investigators started coming. and they didn't realize that they were ending up predicting that this is going to be like a huge haunted location that everybody knows and loves. But other investigators saw that documentary, saw the brick thing and decided to go to the hotel for a news segment. And the people in that group,

some of the investigators were Mark and Debbie Constantino. Have we talked about them? Yeah, it's familiar. Okay, I thought we did a whole episode on them. And we haven't. So if you would like a topic, I suggest them. But it was for a long time, Zach would have.

Yeah. Oh. So Zach regularly had this couple. Oh, yes. Of course. Those two. Yes. I have not covered that.

Have I? I thought you did. I looked up on our episode guide and it's not there. Maybe you and I watched like a series on it together or something because I remember we talked about it a lot. Yeah. I think we have because I'm like there's. Sorry, but you can explain.

I like interrupted you. Sorry. No, no. So. And a lot of the Ghost Avengers episode, Zach would regularly have on these other investigators named the Constantinos. They were a married couple. And he was really good friends with them in real life.

And he, Mark Constantino ended up killing his wife in a murder-suicide. And it ended up becoming a big, I don't know about, I won't say scandal, but it was big news in the paranormal world. And it was Zach's, like, close friends. Yeah. And, I mean, talk about between that and, like, now Aaron's wife trying to kill him.

Oh, for sure. There's a lot of dark. And, and I mean, I mean, not to be that guy, but, like, Zach does have half his museum dedicated to, like, serial killers and shit. And I'm like, get that energy out of there, man. Like, why do you have Charles Manson on a shrine in there? It's just weird. But anyway. Yeah.

But the, the Aaron thing is crazy. Obviously, I've covered that because I was, like, on the ground. Oh, I've wore my blazer. That's right. You wear your blazer. And then. But the Constantinos, yeah, we've discussed them briefly, but I don't think we've ever done an episode. So yeah, I'll do, I'll look into that because, and I think there was a lot of, there was some scandal or whatever surrounding it because I think some people were trying to frame it as like he was possessed and he killed her.

And it's like there was like also domestic violence in the past. And I think like there was also talk around that. But yeah, I, ooh, I'm going to write that down. That's a good topic suggestion. Well, so I think this is how they actually met each other because 18 months after the Ghost Adventures documentary, the Constantinos went and did this new segment. I think that's how they got paired with each other. Whoa, okay. Geez, Butterfly Effect is freaking me out today. I don't know why. I know. I know. Seeing this all laid out like 30 years, 20 years ago, I mean. I know. And so they had

heard about, they actually, I appreciate that Zach did this because these days he seems to be very protective, like, God forbid anybody else to do any paranormal content that he's willing to like hear and promote. Right, right. But he put at the end of his documentary the news segment of the Constantino's going to talk about

the brick because they saw the brick and they wanted to go and do EVPs and ask about the brick. So they go and the creepiest thing, which I hinted at in the last episode that we covered this. But they go in there and they ask about you know, did the spirit store the brick? And they got an EVP of a voice

that literally sounded like it was one of them. Like it just sounded like a person thing. It did not sound like a whisper. It just sounded like an extra person that tagged along with them. And it was in an old-timey, like transatlantic voice. Ugh. But so they said, did you throw the brick? And then you can hear the voice say, thank you, but we've done it.

What? Yeah. And then, it literally sounds so clear. It's horrific. In a transatlantic. Oh, forget. Because I was like thinking it was like, thinking it was. going to be one word. I was like, how do you know it's translate? But that's like a sentence. What the

fuck? Well, don't you worry, Christine, because if you put that Vimeo link that I sent you, don't make me. It is at one hour, 26 minutes, 32 seconds. Hey, that's how old I was at Disney World. Just kidding. Sorry, 1, 1, 2610. Wait a minute. The link you sent me. Vimeo. Vimeo. Oh, I'm sorry. Okay. I was like, it's four minutes long. I'm very confused. Okay. 126.10. Oh, I thought you just sent me that for tonight's purposes. I didn't realize that. I did. I forgot that I put time stamps here so you can listen to it. Fantastic.

And if you guys did it. Yeah, watching now. Could you always tell me in the recorder if you did it? Could you always tell me in the recorder if you did it? Say, no way. I was a thank you, but we've done. Did anybody say that? Nobody said that?

No. Thank you, but we've done it. What the fucking hell is that? Let me listen more time. Yeah. Just something. And if you guys did it, could you always tell me in the recorder if you did it?

Could you always tell me in the recorder if you did it? They don't know. I was all thank you, but we... Ew! It sounds old-timey, right? It goes, thank you. Yeah, ew. Thank you, but we've done it.

Yeah. They end up bringing it up again later, and they get an EVP of the exact same old-timey voice saying, didn't mean to hurt anybody. Oh. Ugh. What? Horrifying.

These are like full sentences. I know. I know. And then this also is similar to other things that people have experienced there. I told you in the last episode that people will get EBPs of a voice that sounded exactly like as if the investigator continued speaking. Oh, that freaks me out. That's like some audio doppelganger mimic shit. No, no, no.

Because they'll be like, I didn't, everyone saw me finish my sentence, right? Why am I still talking on this? Uh-uh. Uh-uh. Uh-uh. You did an episode on mimics, right? I did. Yeah, that was so creepy.

You should look at it. If you ever, I feel like, uh, you should, I want to know if there are any places that have, like, if that's, like, they're haunting, you know? Anyway, that's a totally different topic. Sorry. No, you're good. But so after this, ghost adventures obviously blew up. And years later, they actually ended up going back as specials. Oh.

And the Ghost Adventures crew went back to the hotel two different times, one in season four, one in season seven. But both of them featured the Constantinos. And so Zach has since removed them from streamers. Wow. Okay. He didn't want anything to do with that market. Wow. But they did have one episode that is still up.

And it was one of their COVID-2020 specials because I guess they had nothing to do. So let's go back to where it'll be. can. And so it was a 90-minute special, and it was a three-night stay at the Goldfield Hotel. Oh, wow. Do you want me to cover it next time? Yes. Okay, because I was going to do it right now, but I'm also aware that we're like, why am I obsessed with the Goldfield Hotel? It's also Western and Cowboy. I think so. I mean, I know so. I think that might be why. Well, I'll cover it next time. Is that okay? I'm sorry. My fucking story in the beginning went on for 18 hours. No, I mean, now I don't have to do notes. Sick. Hell yeah. Hell yeah, brother. I love that for you. You should do that more often. We should just stop talking more often and then go, I'll do it next time. I'll call it Zeeb's return to the hotel. Oh my God. It's like how he keeps returning. We're doing that. Like we're making more content, you know, just coming back to it. He forces all of us to be just like... Yeah, he started it. All right. Well, then, hell, I guess that's where I'll end then. So that is the, um, the

original Zach Zack Begans ghost adventures documentary remarkable thank you you know and it's so funny I remember I had the um catfish documentary on DVD when I was younger like in high school and I loved it but yeah I never knew about the Zach Begans one I think it's funny that my two like favorite shows to binge watch right started as random documentary which maybe that was a thing for a while I guess I don't know I think because I was like when everyone got a digital camera so everyone's oh so it's like Or early days of like nowadays you have YouTube or TikTok and that's how you get a show. Yeah. I think it was very much just like that was the beginning of social media.

So it's like, well, if I filmed this thing. And it's like a reel you can pitch it. Yeah. Wow. Good job, Em. That was quite a doozy. Thank you. I'm going to go get another deep peppy real quick.

And then would you like to do a yappy hour? Yes. Okay. I will also run to the bathroom. I will see you shortly. You know that we don't like to be in. inconvenienced, especially it. I hate it.

Famously. I hate being obese. And one of the ways I hate being inconvenienced is when I think about cooking, I'm just like, the last thing I want to do is especially when you're hungry. Oh, but now we've got hungry root and it really does change the game. All of a sudden, it's so much easier. They give you exactly what you need, all the ingredients, the exact right size. They tell you exactly how to do it.

Man, it really, and it's done. It's quick. It's quick. It's boom. It's boom, bada boom. And it's like kind of like you have a choice, right? So some days I'm like, oh, yeah, I can make a little bit of something to eat and feel like a chef today. And some days I'm like, oh, I haven't eaten in 16 hours.

Oh, thank God. Hungry remembered that I often do this. And they sent me like a pack of bagels or like I know I always talk about it, but the Ithaca hummus I get every single time because it is my favorite brand of hummus. So they also send like snacks and stuff. They build you a custom cart. It's really great. They know exactly what you need. And they go, girl, eat this.

Sit down. I need it. You're going to love Hunger Route as much as we do. And for a limited time, you can get 40% off your first box plus get a free item in every box for life. Go to Hungryroot.com slash drink and use code drink. That's hunger root.com slash drink code drink to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life. So this copy says how much time were you spending and like what do you like dealing with your finances before rocket money? I'm like, I don't want to tell anyone that.

Thank you. Thank you for asking, but none of your business. I, too much. Way too much. I recently just went through my phone and deleted all of the apps I don't use. Oh, yes. And now everything fits on like one slide, which is delicious. But as I was deleting things, I would say, would you like to cancel the subscription?

And I went, hmm? Huh? And then I signed into Rocket Money and they went, hey, guess what? You've got some subscriptions that you've recently purchased in the middle of the night. Yeah. And I forgot all about. And if it weren't for Rocket Money to double check and show me the entire list of all these apps that I was paying for, and I didn't know. It really, it, it, it, it's a game changer. It really is. Rocket Money is a personal

finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending, and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings. And they will cancel them for you. That's the best part. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. Truly, people have heard us talk about this in my personal life and they're like, do you really like Rockett Money that much? And I'm like, sign up before you even leave this conversation. Give me your phone. Yeah. It's a great thing. Let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals. Goals faster. Join at rocketmoney.com slash drink. That's rocketmoney.com slash drink. Rocketmoney dot com slash drink. Lovely. Let's get into it. I have a weird one today, which is like one of

these rabbit holes I went down and decided to make into a story because it is a true crime story. But it's kind of off the beaten path, right? Like I love it. To give you a hint and to give you a little bit of, not a hint, I guess, maybe more of like a little bit of relief going into this story. Nobody died. Oh, well, I like what I hear. How does that feel, right? It was real good. I thought it might feel good.

So we are going to get on it. I'm loving this episode so far. I know. It's really like, yeah, everything's nice. Things are flowing. Well, you know, Mercury has, it is Friday to 13th. Mercury has been in retrograde. But Jupiter just went out of cancer.

Okay, we'll talk about another time. I'm really into astrology right now. And I feel like next yappy hour we got to chat because I have so much to say. I didn't even know it was happy Friday the 13th. So sorry. Yeah, it's two in a row because we had one last month. And we, by the way, we recorded on Friday the 13th last month because I remember thinking it. We're like, whoa.

We're like really good at our job. I feel like we should have celebrated and we did not. Yeah, well, shit. Now we had two chances in a row. We forgot. No, we're not actually that good at our jobs, it seems. Okay. Well, on this Friday of 13th, take it away.

This is a story of the Harvey's Casino bombing in the Lake Tahoe area. Oh, okay. Yeah. Good vibes already, huh? I was, you know, I was expecting to be in a different space. Why aren't you excited? So, speaking of Cordillane, we're going back to 1980. And we're...

For everyone who enjoys it was bored. Reagan was a sparkle in the American dream. Okay. On August 27th, 1980, a white Dodge delivery van bearing a small bumper sticker that read, Do Not Disturb the, by the way, I had to go digging for this kind of information, okay? I listened to a lot of podcasts on this, and I was like, there has to be more about the actual heist or whatever you want to call it. There has to be more detail. I can't just have, like, they pulled up in a car.

I want to know the details, and I found them. The van bore a small bumper sticker that read, quote, do not disturb the occupants of this vehicle when it is rocking. Which, by the way, like, there are catchier ways to say that. That feels like it wanted my brain to pause, so I had to think about it longer. Yeah, it feels like it's a sign, like, it's been zero days since someone got hurt, but they tried to make it like sexy. And it's like,

do not disturb the occupants while the vehicle is rocking. It's not quite as sexy as I think you're trying to say. Does it just mean that like they're like head banging in the band? No, it means sexy time. It's like if the door,

if the bed's a rock and don't come and knock on. That's the catchy way. I think maybe in 1980, maybe they hadn't come up with like the axiom yet, you know. It was in beta. They hadn't. It was in beta. They were trying to be classy.

I don't know. So this. van, very professional, right? Drove from South Lake Tahoe into state line Nevada. Hey girl. Hey girl. Three men wearing blue workers coveralls parked the vehicle and got out. They unloaded a massive desk-sized metal device that had been wrapped in a cloth featuring a crude hand-painted IBM logo on the side.

God. So you could just tell that they... This is why I needed the details. Like, what the fuck? I can't believe. that's not the headline. It's like someone clearly faking the IBM logo with their weird graffiti. In 1980, like, please, you know, they just had Sharpies and they were like, or an expo marker. And they were like, well, this will work. I was going to say an expo marker or a

vis-a-vis-vis. V-a-vis. And like the squiggles, like the white lines through it because you can't ever. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like the squeakies. And it's like, yeah. And it's, ah, and then you got your fingerprint in it by accident. It's like, shit. Um, hot. 100%. And so these fucking guys wheel this device, which appeared to be a copymaker from the outside. They wheel this device through a side entrance of Harvey's Resort Hotel onto a service elevator and then took it to the second floor. Now let me tell you a little bit about Harvey's Resort Hotel. This is some info I found from a Lake Tahoe historian named David Atonuch, Antenucci, who wrote a book about Lake Tahoe. and here's what he had to say about Harvey's resort hotel.

He explained it as originally known as Harvey's wagon wheel saloon and gambling hall. Oh, sick. That sounds fun. Very cool. If that were in Boise, that's where I would be heading. Should have stuck with the original name. I agree. I think it's way cooler.

But anyway, Harvey's Wagon Wheel Salute and Gambling Hall. It was founded in 1944 by a man named Harvey Gross. And he was, I just kept this in because I thought it was weird. He was a wholesale meat butcher from Sacramento, California. He was originally in the Lake Tahoe area just selling meat, just walking around selling meat. That feels like something a man named Harvey Gross does. Doesn't it, though? And just like out of the blue, he thought, you know, it would be really cool is opening a casino.

But it's a risky move because it was the 40s. You don't, I mean, I don't know. You don't know really what you're doing. I feel like that was kind of common, though. I mean, think of like Bobby Mackey's. There was a slaughterhouse and it became like this like big. Good point. What is that connection?

That's so weird. It feels like it was like, well, this is just farmland. Yeah. I only think that's ever died here. I just have property, I guess. Yeah, and why not like make it a hotel? I don't know. Or a casino?

Yeah, it's just weird. So anyway, he started this casino as a simple one-room log cabin on Highway 50 in State Line Nevada, which is where our story takes place. At the time, Gross and his competitor, William F. Hara, who opened Hara's casino across the street, which is pretty famous. I believe. Oh, yeah. We're taking, they were taking a massive risk opening these businesses, betting that, because Lake Tahoe, especially back then, was like pretty out there, right? It's like remote, like you have to travel there. And so they were kind of having to bet that the harsh

weather and the remote location wouldn't deter tourists and gamblers from visiting. But they nailed it because over the next few decades, Harvey's and Harrah's both grew into very successful businesses. Harvey's specifically grew from a roadside cabin into South Lake Tahoe's first high-rise casino hotel tower. Holy shit. By the time of the 1980 bombing, it was a massive 11-story resort with nearly 200 hotel rooms, thousands of slot machines, and a huge array of table games. So just to give you context of what this place is in the year 1980, it is bopping. Everyone's in the casino, placing bets and drinking and smoking.

these men wheel this copier in with the Expo IBM on the side they head upstairs place the device on some wooden blocks in a small nook near the telephone equipment exchange room and then one of the men took a bunch of wooden toothpicks and jammed the keyholes

in the surrounding doors to lock them which I've never heard of that I think it's just so that if you put the key in there's something in the way yeah that was a very specific I was like, what a creative thing to bring with you, like a bunch of toothpicks. I wonder, I mean, if they're literally using random markers, it seems to draw IBM logo.

I think he looked around his kitchen before they left and went, ah, toothpicks. That ought to be it. No, he probably had something in his tooth and was like, oh. This works pretty good, yeah. But yeah, so it's a little bit random. But so he jammed the keyholes with the surrounding doors with wooden toothpicks and glue. And I'm like, all right. Right.

Sure. Yeah, probably unnecessary. But is he locking, are they also locking themselves in the room? They are not. They are creating an exit point for themselves. So I believe that they left one exit route open and jammed the other door. It's shut. Okay.

Next to the machine, they left a three-page typewritten envelope, well, three-page typewritten letter in an envelope addressed to Harvey's management. It was on the floor beside the machine. and then they got back in the service elevator, drove away in their sexy van. At approximately 6.30 a.m. And by the way, this was like some time in the like early morning, late night hours. So we don't, I think it was like 3, 4 a.m. So at approximately 6.30 a.m., graveyard shift supervisor Bob Vinson noticed the slightly open door to the telephone room and discovered the device in there. And he also discovered the tampered locks.

And so immediately, right, red flags. He contacted the casino security supervisor Simon Cabin, who had just so happened to have recently completed a letter bomb training course. Oh, did he? Did he? A letter bomb, he actually did. He did just happen to complete a letter bomb training course. Thank you so much for asking. Well, a letter bomb sometimes called a package bomb or a parcel bomb, is just an explosive device that is packaged in a parcel or an envelope.

And upon opening it, it's meant to. explode. And so it's like a... Who is teaching this class? Why is this class even an option? That part I don't... And where can I take it? Right. And also, more importantly, do you have time in your schedule? I don't think so. There is... I think it's just because you're head of security at a casino that you would take a class like this, maybe. That did not click for me. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's the 80s. I don't know. I think it's like we got anthrax coming up in a few hot years and, you know, there's there's

probably just the newest, like, I don't know, maybe after the Unabomber, people started getting concerned. I'm not sure. That makes sense. I totally didn't think security when, like, right, right, right. And the reason I brought that up is because he got there that had a security and he had just taken this, like, letter bomb course and he sees this letter on the floor, right? And remember, it's three pages in an envelope and it says Harvey's management. And he's like, he probably thought it was like a training exercise honestly because he's like he's this like thick envelope on the floor and he's like oh shit like i think that's a package bomb i mean i would wonder too i'd be like it's kind of eerie that that's happening right now like you guys are you pranking me i can you imagine that like i just finished my like first aid class and then all of a sudden the guys are bleeding out on the i know right someone just dies in front of you and you're like uh oh are you an actor yeah are you tricky did my coach set you up to this yeah tricky did i tell you about my final club my my um the at the c PR first aid. I'm also doing a CPR basic life support, which I guess is different. Oh.

Whatever. Whatever. But at this class that I just finished, we had a final test at the end before we could get certified. And he literally said, okay, I'm just going to like, I'm going to leave and then I'll come back and I'll pretend like something's wrong. And you guys have to all work together and save me. And he comes back. This dude did not tell us that 10 minutes away is Hollywood. And he apparently brought up. a gallon of fake blood. And he just walks in and looks like a full-blown victim of something. Holy shit. Like, dripping a whole floor everywhere.

Like, my notebook that I brought is, like, covered in, like, this, like, red syrup. Like, it's just a fucking, it's like, it's like, Holly weird. It's very real. I'm sorry. These people are nutty. They're like, let's add some pizzazz. He literally kind of, like, on his fort, it was dripping off of him. It was like in his, like, in, like, on.

on his leg and his shoe is dripping it and I was like this guy fucking committed to the bit because he and he really it really did catch us off guard which is like what would happen yeah anyway um but I was as I'm looking him in the eyes and trying to like ask all the right questions and be like you know I'm also like giggling because I'm like you can't be fucking for real like this where did you go

which costume store did you go to and like was there just a gallon of blood sitting right outside the door so you could do a quick change yeah he probably preordered it I I was very impressed. Sorry. So I, sorry. No, I forgot I was even telling a story. I was very invested in that. I know that's because of me. I'm sorry. No, I just was really invested in all the fake blood. Okay. So let's see. So a letter bomb. He's looking at this. So Cabin goes, he arrives. He spots the envelope on the carpet. He says, everyone out. This, there's one man for the job. It's me. I took a letter bomb course. Okay. Everybody step aside. Everyone's clear. I'm on it. I'm on it. Kaban and a responding sheriff's deputy procured a pair of wooden broomsticks to poke the envelope from a safe distance.

Okay. Is that, that's protocol? Give it a poke. That's what I was going to say. Wait a minute. Didn't this guy just get fucking certified and what he takes a broom and starts poking it? I did that with the guy during my course. You got a broom.

You're good? And he's like, you fail, actually. Well, because in every, like, like, law and order cops swan, show where there's like they've accidentally like a bomb has gone off and like if they step their foot off the landmine it's right think let's not jostle this oh i'm just oh you're so on it exactly the hundred percent you should have been you should have been there okay cabin and a responding sheriff's deputy procured a pair of wooden broomsticks to poke the envelope from a safe distance when the envelope failed to explode after being prodded i guess safe distance so i guess they were like oh

we'll just poke it and if it explodes we'll be fine-ish. Or we'll be so dead so fast, we won't even know if it didn't work. Weird, right? Like, I'm like, how did you find this to be a safe thing? Whatever. Yeah. What's a safe distance? I would imagine a mile is a safe distance. That's the only, like, how else could you say a safe distance if you're poking it with a broom? And that's not that far away, in my humble opinion. But again, I've not taken this course. So maybe I don't fucking know. So Cabin pokes it with a broom. It doesn't explode. He goes, oh, I guess it's safe to open. So he's, he, he's, He leans on the copier and he reads the first page of the letter, hands the second page to the deputy.

As they read the text, the deputy points at the box and said, hey, that thing that you're leaning on is a bomb. I like how he, like, okay, okay, imagine you're me. I'm just going to use, like, my phone. And I'm reading the note. So good. Imagine, then he goes, he's reading, he's ringing, and he goes. Ah, yeah. And then what do you do?

Because when you said the fingers on the thing and the, it's like, how do you even know whether to move? The fact that he's like leaning on it. He's leaning on it. I think his back. I think he was like reading it like this. Oh, no. And then the guy goes, uh, that's a bomb. Not only that, Am, I mean, seriously.

But like if he now gets off of it, he will have. He got off of it safely. Somehow, really somehow. Um, by virtue of sheer luck, I think. Because they read this letter, not only is this bomb, not only is this fucking copymaker a bomb, but the letter instructed them that even if it gets tilted by 0.01, like moved by like 0.01 on the Richter scale, this thing is going to explode. And I want to say right now, this does not end up being a hoax.

This is a very real bomb that is actually very strategically created to go off at the slightest tilt. I'm glad to say that because my first. is like this is clearly a hoax since the guy leaned on it and then was able to get off of it. So then my next thought is, is this a faulty bomb? I think it happened to be a dub. I think perhaps the tilting was not quite as, like, sensitive, right? As like maybe just leaning on it. But I think, like, if you were to like pick it up or like.

If he, like, stubbed his toe on it. Yeah, yeah. If he, like, pushed it away or rolled it or something like that because I'm going to read you part of the letter. It's a long-ass letter. Like I said, three pages. I'm not going to read you the whole thing. But I'm going to read you part of it. It said, stern warning to the management.

And bomb squad. Do not move. Okay, again, imagine you're leaning on the copier. You just thought the letter was a bomb and you're so relieved that you're just going to lean back on this old copier and read the letter. I'm going to throw up. Like, this is insane. Awful.

And like the fact that they thought this letter was the thing and they're like, few, just a letter. And anyway, do not move or tilt this bomb because the mechanism controlling the detonators in it will set it off at a movement of less than 0.01 of the open. open-end Richter scale. Don't try to flood or gas the bomb. There is a float switch and an atmospheric pressure switch set at 26.00 to 33.00. Both are attached to detonators. Do not try to take it apart. So, first of all, my turn, I don't know why I did that. I'm so sorry. Psychologically, why are you warning people to not try things that will set the bomb off? Don't you want the bomb to go

off. You do not want the bomb to go off. I'm glad you asked. You do not want the bomb to go off because you want three million dollars. Oh, what? This is such a man's way to solve a problem. Like I, like, why, okay. I don't, I don't understand the logic immediately.

We could have just, like, they could, okay, whatever. It doesn't matter. Keep going. I'll pass your notes along to the, to the domestic terrorist that we have. have here. No, but for real, it's pretty nutty. So in other words, the bomb is so sensitive that the slightest movement, either inside or outside, will cause it to explode. He went on to say, by the way, also it added here, I don't even know what the fuck this means, but it says the flathead screws are attached to triggers and as much as one quarter to three quarters of a turn of the screw will trigger

the bomb. So, I mean, everything on it is like wired. Yeah, yeah, that's what I think that out too. there had to be a simpler way to do this. You'd think so. I mean, if you're going to rob me, like, I appreciate the theatrics. But remember, it's a casino. So this is, like, very, like, heisty. Yes. And also, a lot of people are there, which means, like, it's much more threatening.

It's a big. You're the only three people in this building that could get hurt. It's like, you could kill everybody. And you need to take action, like, right now, you know. Exactly. But then what do they think? going to happen. They're going to get their $3 million and go, who thanks guys. Anyway, we'll go diffuse that for you now.

I'll tell you. You're going to jail. It's a three-page letter, M. They have very explicit instructions. They thought it through somehow, even though it feels like they didn't think this through. They didn't think it was true. They thought it through, exactly. They thought it through so thoroughly and so pointedly that they didn't look outside and say, oh, wait, this isn't going to work. I need you to hear me. I need you hear me really clearly. And I need to get close to the camera, because I need to know that you're hearing me. I fucking love this episode. This is such a good story.

Ah. And I'm not getting drinking. What's happening? Okay. Okay. Okay. I'll shut the fuck up now. No, no, no.

You're good. It's a very short story anyway. So that's the good story. That's the good news. I mean. So they continued. This bomb can never, this is the letter. This bomb can never be dismantled or disarmed without causing an explosion, not even by the creator.

Oh, so what? So now it just sits there on display for the rest of time? It is our advice to cordon off a minimum of 12. 1,200 feet radius and remove all people from that area. So first and foremost, first and foremost, authorities initiated a full evacuation before they even looked into this, like, whether this was a hoax or not, because of course, you have to. You read the first paragraph and you're like, time to go. Yeah, there was a one woman who was like, I was in the shower. I'm like, yeah, this is a nightmare. But they basically evacuate approximately 600 hotel guests and employees into

the streets of Lake Tahoe and people are of state line Nevada. And people who are out there like, what's going on? You know? Of course, now the news are like, ooh, what's happening over there? And people are getting interested and it's becoming a spectacle. It turns out this bomb, as they looked into it, they, of course, got a bomb squad involved. The bomb was constructed from solid steel plates contained nearly 1,000 pounds of stolen dynamite, and featured eight separate anti-tampering mechanisms, including a kinetic tilt sensor, an atmospheric pressure switch and booby-trapped casing screws, like the ones we just mentioned.

According to the FBI's website, after 39 years, it remains one of the most unique, improvised explosive devices the Bureau has ever come across. Wow. Okay. Well, then I guess hats off to these people for making a mastermind engineer. Let's just give him that one credit. That one singular credit. He's also a Nazi, but, you know. Oh, okay. Yeah, he literally served in the Luftwaffe allegedly, is what he. he tells people. But we'll get to it. I could see why he was useful to them with his weird evil mastermind. Very good point. Very good point. With his weird like attempt at a James Bond style. Yes. Yeah. Trying to make Oceans 11 real, but for evil. Yeah, but it's just Ocean's 3 and it doesn't really kind of work, you know. That's just kind of sad. So the extortion letter, oh, and by the way, one of the toggles was a dummy switch meant to confuse and

Like they literally had rigged it so that like you couldn't even remotely fuck with it without fear of setting it off. Maybe too soon, but like imagine one day this being an escape room. Oh, interesting. There's got to be an escape room where like you're trying to defuse a bomb. But it's like every single thing leads to a different puzzle. I think I've done one of those where there's like a bomb on board or something. I don't know. Maybe that's a little too.

I know. It's a little like. It's a little much for. You could be talking about. But still, I'm like, if he used his power for good, he could have been an incredible magician. For good being like an escape room. He would have never made it $3 million, though, M. So I don't know about it.

It's sort of the path of virtue or like, let's balls to the wall this. You should have just used it for his art. That's all I'm saying. I agree. I mean, I agree. And I say the same thing about a lot of these really bad men. But, you know, what can you do? So the extortion letter demanded $3 million in unmarked $100 bills.

warning that the bomb could detonate with a movement of less than 0.01 on the Richter scale. The ransom instructions required a helicopter pilot to drop the money at a designated location, warning the pilot, do not try to be a hero. Arlington is full of them, and they can't even smell the flowers. I don't think that's a thing. Zach Beggins right this? Yeah, right? Okay, that's the closest to any real explanation because I Googled it and the internet was like,

are you learning English? stop and smell the roses. And I was like, I know that, okay? I know that already. But smell, they can't even smell the flowers. I don't know what that means. Again, this guy was a Nazi, so probably. Well, maybe it was, I mean, not to be like so on the nose here, but maybe it was like broken English that he was translating from German.

Right. Like, maybe it's like a thing I don't know in German or something. Yeah. Like smell the roses, smell the flowers and it was just like just off and being translated. I don't know. So meanwhile, the mystery bomb makers drove up Highway 50 to wait for the helicopter at a drop site near Ice House Road. But guess what? These three fellows forgot to bring the battery for their strobe light that was supposed to alert the helicopter where to go.

Good. Great. They attempted to steal a car battery from a Volkswagen, and that didn't work. So they went to a shell station in Placerville and asked for a car battery. And the guy, this is another one. of these like just you can't make the shit up the guy looks outside sees their car and goes oh no you're actually going to want one of these and they're like no we want that battery and he's like no but i see your car right there you're actually going to want one of these batteries and they were like give us

a fucking battery he's trying to be helpful and it's literally trying listen man listen man you don't know what we're up to we just we really we're up to no good uh so finally they convinced him to like sell them that battery and the guy's like okay he's like fine be stupid you're They're going to be crawling back here. Back in my day, you would have listened to your elders. Yeah. So they just get the different type of battery. But by the time they returned to the drop site, it was too late.

The FBI pilot and his friend that he had in the back had flown over a couple times. They saw no strobe light. They were going to run out of gas. And they were like, well, fuck this guy. I guess he's punking us. Little did they know. They were out buying a battery at a shell station. So I recently had late Christmas with my mom.

And I have been complaining to her about how. Oh my God. I know what this is about. I have, I don't know what's been going on, but I guess my 30s are just going to kick me right in the teeth. Yeah, they keep on coming. I have been, I've been losing some hair and I complained to my mom and she went, that simply cannot happen in this house. For Christmas, she sent me like so much neutraful, unaware that we work with them. She then went, um, could I have that back? She was like, Merry Christmas, but I want it now. But actually, uh, sorry your name was on that that was a mistake. But listen, everybody, Neutrafol is the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand. And it's the number one hair growth supplement brand personally used by dermatologist. I just know when my mother said, I've heard someone talk about it before and how great it is. And I went, yeah, it was probably me. Adding Neutrofo to your daily routine is easy. You can order online, no prescription needed.

It makes a great gift, as M said. And we love it in this house and that house and Linda's house. So there you go. Let your hair be one less thing to worry about. See visibly thicker, stronger, faster growing hair in three to six months with Neutrefour. And for a limited time, NutraFo is offering our listeners $10 off your first month subscription and free shipping when you visit NutraFol.com and enter promo code drink. That's Nutraful.com spelled N-U-T-R-A-F-O-L dot com promo code drink. Back in state line, a carnival atmosphere emerged behind the police barricades because people were like drunk and on vacation and a spectacle was to be had.

And so don't you know it, people started placing bets on when the bulls. bomb would detonate if it would happen in a goddamn casino and all these people are someone is addicted to gambling and they're like I'll bet it's like Kevin during the fire and the oh yes and guess what like they've just been kicked out of the casino so they got to gamble somewhere might as well gamble on the streets and figure out when this bomb's going to go off now this one is a little interactive for you because I'd like you to help me I'd like you to guess because this is kind of your forte local teenagers including 18 year old Greg Davis and 14 year old Rocky Young set up a stand and sold $9 novelty t-shirts. And I want you to guess any of the

phrases that could have been. It's like Lake Tahoe themed tourist t-shirts. Sure. I was scared there when you said my local, my interest was local teenagers. Okay. And then I said it out loud and I went, oh, two teenage boys. And I said, you're good at this kind of thing and like saying jokes like a teenager. And I'm like, that's probably rude. I didn't mean it to be rude. But it's like punny. You know, I was very into this part. Okay. So they started selling novel. T-shirts about the experience. Yes. And there's like a catchphrase.

Yeah, they're a couple. So you can kind of guess. Well, actually, and then so they started it. And then a couple other people started selling shirts. Just, you know, these like, what do you call them? Entrepreneurs. They see a problem. They see a gap in the market.

They're going to jump in. It's something like, um, I went to the casino and all I lost was all by money. I lost my luck at this casino or something like that. I don't know. Something about gambling. Think more about. what's what's in the building what is the thing in the boat because now they sorry this place is the bomb there okay you're getting there okay i got bombed at lake tahoe okay i had a dynamite time

now that one i'd buy that one and then there was one more let me see oh see if they if escape rooms existed then they would have profited oh and by the way these shirts uh according to stuff you should know which i'll never call things you should know ever again i promise stuff you should know did this uh an episode on this and they said that these shirts cost like $150 on eBay now or something. Oh, they still exist? They still exist. Don't you tell me that now that I, now that rocket money is on my sign, I have all this money in my bank account. Trust me.

They're like, we saved you $30 and you're like, perfect. It goes toward my new fund, my new savings account for my new t-shirt. Yeah, I got bombed at Lake Tahoe. I had a dynamite time at Lake Tahoe. And then I survived the bomb, Lake Tahoe, August 1980, which I think I want that one. That one's cool, even though I wasn't there and did. I like a date on a shirt. I do, too.

You had to be there. It feels really cool, especially if you're buying it from eBay, you know. Especially. So that's the fun fact that I had to go fine because nobody wanted to talk about it. Honestly, you are doing, but. This is on the ground journalism. Thank you so much. Thank you.

The fact, okay, I'm not fucking kidding. The fact that you had to go searching for any interesting information, I mean, it's already interesting because it's a bomb. But someone is going to listen to this and now have, such a much more interesting of a thing to tell people. Like, why is the FBI not talking about this? Also, who are the shitty journalists who aren't

adding in, like, all the best fun facts? No, they are. That's the sources I had to go find because nobody else is, like, propagating the correct information. I see. I see. Okay. I had to go find about Ricky and whatever his name is. Because the journalist wrote about it that day.

They're like, this is such an exciting day. It's like the world's fair, but for drunk idiots. And then, like, instead, the internet's like, and it was this type of bomb with this many screws. And I was like, okay, like, fine. But I also want to know the T-shirt, the merch, the souvenirs.

I, 100% of it. Right? Yes, souvenirs are one of my main concerns always. Always. You know, and especially in true crime when, like, it's usually, like, not classy to actually have any of anything. Totally. This is a story that they were literally selling souvenirs.

I'm allowed to be a little jazz. Nobody died. Remember that. Nobody died. You know what? We used to be a proper country when like there was a story like this

that everyone heard about and all the news All the newspapers were talking about it All the journalists were like And then this happened And this and this and this And nowadays So many insane fucking things

Are happening minute by minute That like there's just like You can't keep up No To report the information And it's not even as crazy anymore Because you're like It's all fake and made up in crazy town

Like if there was a bomb at a casino I'd be like Okay Like I wouldn't even think about it. Like, oh, few. At least it's just a bomb at a casino, not in a fucking preschool. Like, what the fuck? You know, it's like, you can't win nowadays. You're right. This, this, this is back when we, when we could all rally together, no matter where we lived and all hear about that one crazy bomb in that copy printer in that casino over in Vegas. Did you hear about that?

And everyone's talking about it. Oh, Sandra got a T-shirt, even though she wasn't there, the lying bitch. I saw the date. I know she was at the office. Yeah. I didn't get her vacation signed off. Okay. Here we go. So they're selling T-shirts. People on the side of the road are just like drunk and disorderly. By the way, everyone's like really upset about that. And like at the time. And I'm like, fucking let people just be whatever. People need an outlet. I don't know. People were like it's so disrespectful. And I'm like, nobody died. Nobody died. And even in the moments where everyone thought someone was going to die. And it. it should have freaked everyone out. I can't speak to this, but like, people were hammered probably. Oh, yeah. You're in Vegas on vacation at a casino. Like, someone is not in their right mind in the moment.

And like a once in a lifetime thing is unfolding, right? And you're with, like, presumably your friends or your whoever. And you're just like... You're at least going to be gawking. I mean, let's not forget. I think about it like once a month, the fucking Kentucky mammoth cave where someone was stuck in there and everyone was starting throwing a watch party. thinking about that and selling merch and selling merch and he died and one person died but that was

still like that one person underground was horrified and everyone was just up there going woo hopefully we see yeah yeah i can't wait to tell aunt margaret about this it's like what the fuck yeah and then he did die and then think like and then the party at some point took a dark turn yeah they were selling hot dogs yeah it's this is like even if it's a little um unethical the people find ways to gather. It's a very human response. And that's why I feel like we shouldn't just like immediately be like, how disrespectful. It's like, listen, they just got this shit scared out of them.

They almost died, by the way. Like, all their stuff is still in the hotel. They're here for a vacation. Now there's a bomb. And like, you're probably slap happy and drunk. And like, what the fuck is going on? It's 6.30 and, well, maybe you're not drunk. But some people are drunk.

6.30 in the morning. As the day unfolds, people are getting drunker and selling t-shirts. I mean, I think, of course. that's what happened. I don't know if I condone it, but I can see it. Yeah, of course. Yeah. So after more than 30 hours of analyzing the device, experts heard an internal whirring sound

in the machine. Oh, fuck. Was it on a timer and now it's going off? I don't know, but they did determine at this point that they needed to do something. And they determined that manual diffusal was impossible, like the letter said. So what they decided to do on August 27th at 3.46 p.m., with all these people on the streets, drunk and watching, they decided, the bomb squad, they decided to attempt to render the device safe by, so what they did was they tried to detonate, you know what, it's like a controlled explosion. Like they wanted to just sever the connection to the other dynamite. And so they tried to just detonate a piece of it. like the and and sever the circuitry box so it wouldn't set off the rest of the dynamite.

Obviously, this is above my pay grade. But in other words, they tried to do like a smaller controlled detonation. I imagine like put like a Wiley Coyote would take a piece of dynamite and like stick it under like a cardboard box and it would just explode in the box. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And like poof. Yeah, exactly. They just wanted to cover it up and contain it. Yeah.

It didn't work. Oh. The bombs creator had anticipated that they would try to do this. and had actually hidden and packed additional dynamite into the top of the box. Sinister. Which then triggered the detonation of the main payload and blew a five-story crater into the side of Harvey's casino. It destroyed the building, destroyed the casino floor, caused an estimated $18 million in damages in 1980. And what floor was this?

Because not to like get super dark here, but I'm thinking about 9-11. And like, did, like, the tower collapse? No, it did not collapse. It went upstairs into, I believe it was one of the upper, because they did take a service elevator, but I don't think it was like the way top of the building. I'm not sure. But it did only, I mean only. It destroyed the casino floor. So I'm assuming.

And then it also created like a crater of four stories. So I'm assuming the casino floor plus the four stories above that. So somewhere in that way. And somehow the foundation stage. Yeah, yeah. It didn't like fully crumbled to the ground like a wrecking ball, but it did it did get pretty pretty well destroyed. No one, miraculously, no one was injured. But imagine the drunk people buying their shirts out.

Oh, they go, oh. No, everybody started cheering and screaming like it was like a party. Oh, they had to be drunk. There's no way that that happens in everyone. Yeah. The only way you're not taking that seriously is if you're drunk. Okay, but no. So, like, I thought the same thing. But then I was like, no, if I were there and the adrenaline is high and, like, a building just explodes and everyone starts moving and we all survived. And I don't know. I think I would just animalistically be like, woohoo. I don't know. I think it's just like a primal instinct. Maybe I'm just a freak. I don't know. But I'd be like. I think there's no right answer when you're witnessing a bombing. I mean, it's not like, oh, yeah, I'm so thrilled that I just watched this building.

get exploded, but like... It's like a whoo! Yeah, and it's like a what the fuck is going on. Life is crazy, you know? More like that. And thank God they got us out of there. Right. Like, geez.

So the explosion blew a five-story crater into the side of the building, destroying the casino floor and causing an estimated $18 million in damages, though thankfully no one was injured. Following the explosion, investigators found a crucial clue when examining a June 1980 dynamite blast that destroyed a different part of the town. It was Wooden Trust Dry Creek Bridge in Fresno, California. And they determined that the similarities between that, the aftermath, they found like a bombed out area. And they recognized that that was probably the same type of bomb.

And because it was so specific, they were like, this must have been a test area where he was testing his bomb. And then, you know, created the new one. Another major break came from Nancy Domenico, the owner of the Balajo Motel, who had seen these three men at her hotel and or I don't know it's a motel had seen them at the motel and found them so suspicious that she actually recorded their license plate for future reference so agents traced the van's license plate to a man named john burgess junior uh and it uncovered that there had been a speeding ticket that verified the presence of his vehicle and his presence in the area during the extortion timeline which is so fucking

stupid that you got a speeding ticket to place you in the area on the day of your bomb. It's not like the first thing, the first time that's ever happened, but I always love when it's just like something so random. And it's so dumb. It's like something you can prevent, right? And you were speeding. Yeah, you would think if you're on the lamb currently, like you're going to be on your best behavior.

And I know it's probably adrenaline and you're just like speeding and you're just trying. So like I get that, but like, yeah, it's so stupid. You've got to plan for that shit, man. Like, you've got to be careful. If you're going to escape the law, you've got to be careful, folks. Yeah, and that's, I've always said that. You have always said that. So what a dumb ass.

But so they go to John Burgess, senior, and they, which is the father who had been connected to this address as well. And ask him about it. And he goes, oh, I don't know, that's my son's car. So, like, immediately throws his son under the bus. And his son is junior. And he's the one who got the speeding ticket. The FBI also tracked down hospital records for this guy's girlfriend, Ella Joan Williams, who received treatment for a head wound she had sustained on the night of the botched ransom drop.

Oh. Despite placing the suspects under surveillance, they couldn't really get enough evidence until that former girlfriend told her new boyfriend about the plot and he called the FBI for the reward money and was like, hey, my girlfriend said her ex tried to bomb this casino. Now, can I have my reward money, please? See, you can't go tell it to. You can't go yapping. It's not going to work. On August 14, 1981, federal agents brought in John Jr. and his brother, Jim, to interrogate them, knowing that their father was the one who kind of was the mastermind behind this whole plot.

Sure. The brothers confessed to the plot and identified their father, John Burgess, Sr., a former millionaire, successful businessman. I believe he had inherited a business. I don't totally remember. He was a restaurant owner and he also had a gambling addiction. Whoopsies. Okay. He had lost an estimated $800,000 at Harvey's casino alone.

Yeah, that'll do it. There was once at least it like tracks with motive, right? 100%. There was one anecdote that was told on stuff you should know where this one woman and I don't know if it was the same girlfriend or a different girlfriend, but had described going to this hotel. And he was explaining, like, I'm such a high roller and, like, all this stuff. And he was the type of gambler where he sat down and he just couldn't stop. And, like, he would win and then he would just keep playing until he was out. And his girlfriend or whoever he took this lady at the time, he was so in the red that they

kicked him out of the VIP suite they had put him in. Oh, wow. And he was like, Also embarrassing. Humiliated. Like humiliated. And so all these kind of triggers and then like, hey, this guy was literally in the Luftwaffe and an engineer, mechanical engineer and had been held in like a Soviet war camp. I mean, you know, on our own property, what got embarrassed by all in front of all his friends. Got humiliated and a girl that he brought, a woman that he brought.

Like, exactly. Like recipe for disaster. Of course the sons tell the police, this, our father's been abusive. Our whole lives. He's, he's very coercive. makes us do things for him and then of course like turns around says oh that's my son's car i go talk to him you know like he's just a shitty person and a shitty dad um they explain they of course the police look into this guy and they're like oh my god this guy of course he has a vendetta against the casino

he is down he lost 800 grand and he used to be a millionaire now he's like in debt you know and has a gambling addiction it's desperation the brothers detailed their father's toxic and abusive behavior. They said he frequently physically abused his wife. He used his sons as captive labor. He was the one who coerced them into stealing dynamite from a power plant. Jesus. Yeah, it's crazy. And he tried to, they went to trial. Of course, this guy, John Sr., represented himself in court, because why not? And because they always do. And when he did that, he actually cross-examined his own sons. And oh god It's so Dark And it's like

Yeah of course he's abusive He hits them He's a terribly abusive And then it's like He cross-examine them in court Like that's fucking low You know Like that's fear tactic

Of manip like Because you know that you're gonna Terrify them into saying whatever You're just He just really He tried to put them on the spot For this Thankfully they were like

No Oh good Okay good Well they were adults By the way Sorry I should clarify that They were not like children at this point, to be clear. They were like young adults, I think.

So he tried to like shift the blame by cross-examining them on the stand and saying that they were the ones who plotted the bomb. And it's like, you're the one who lost $800,000. Why would they be the one creating a bomb? Like what the fuck? It doesn't even make sense. Investigators also revealed at trial that between the failed Tahoe drop that that explosion and his arrest. he had already started working on a second bomb. Girl, like, you can't take a break.

But also, like, where was that one going to go another casino? I don't know. I assume the same fucking place, but it's like the building still exploded. So maybe there was a Harris across the street. Maybe you went there. You know, maybe. But also, like, he, if he's that smart, you know, wouldn't he think that once one bomb was out there,

that he'd be kind of getting looked at? looked at or eventually someone would figure it out? No, he did not think anyone would figure it out. He could just be like the serial bomber. Yeah, I guess like the unibomber. Again, maybe there's something there in the zeitgeist. I don't know, man. But yeah, so he, maybe he's just that desperate.

He's like, well, at least the bomb worked. And at least now they know that it works. I mean, it does make sense that a gambling addict would be the one who did this because, like, he's taken a gamble that he's taking a gamble. He's taking a fucking gamble. You're right. He'll actually wire him the money. He's like pushed up against between a rock and a hard place.

Like, what are you going to do? Like, desperate times, right? And, like, of course, he's already a terrible person. So it's not, like, a far leap to include your kids in this nonsense. And then things get out of hand. But the fact that you're building another bomb instead of laying low, like, weeks after or months after, is just crazy to me. But whatever. Yeah.

Okay. So he had planned to carry out yet another extortion attempt. Thankfully, they stopped that. His son, Jimmy, cooperated with authorities and led the FBI. to a dry creek bed where his father had stashed the new dynamite collection. I love Jimmy. Jimmy's on top of it. He's like, follow me this way. He's like, I've been waiting for someone to ask me about daddy. Okay, I'm going to show you. I've been sitting here biting my nails waiting for the last year. Please let me show you his stash. And he showed him the dynamite stash.

It was buried in a dry creek bed. So John Burgess Sr. ultimately was convicted of multiple federal charges on October 22nd, 1982. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. And he died of liver cancer at the age of 74 in 1996, which happened to be exactly 16 years and one day after the bomb detonated at Harvey's Resort Hotel. Wow. The end. That's a great story. Yay. Wasn't that wild?

Yeah. That's super wild. That adrenaline spiking. Yeah, like the ticking time bomb literally, you know? I mean, they hear a whirring mechanism and, oh. Yeah. I, um. Sounds like a criminal minds or a.

on? Not, what is, CSI or something? I don't know. Any of them. I mean, I could see any of them, um, doing the, like, leaning on a copier and then, like, Mariska is like, back up slowly. Oh my God. Or, like, don't move.

Don't fucking move. Yeah. You're just stuck here. Yeah. That's terrifying. That's terrifying. I'll call Mariska. She'll do it.

Do you remember that episode that haunts me for the rest of my life? I think it was either house or ER where, like, a thing went through these two people. Uh, went through those two people. I will literally never recover from that. And. it haunts me regularly all the time. Why would you do it? I can't help it.

I'm sorry. It's a trauma. It's a trauma response. To wrangle everyone else in the room into it is my, I'm like, hey, remember that. Oh, my God. Join me, won't you? As I get older, I sound more and more like my mother and her mother before her because when I hear something like, like I'm reminded of that visual, I just go, oh.

Yeah. Oh, yeah. I do it all the time. And I'm like, oh, she, no. And I'm like, oh, no. I'm my dad. Oh, shit. Before we go, I'd like to end on, I think, I hope a high note, but you had something to say to me earlier about Olive Garden and then we glazed over them.

Oh. Oh, my God, you're right. I totally did. I went to Rainforest Cafe for the first time at Disney. And? It was so fun. You're welcome. I know.

I know. I had a great time. Welcome to the fold. We had a great time and like, oh, my God. Leona and I wandered around. and I took a little video and I went in the gift shop and like it was raining and I had some like fried shrimp. And imagine it's the 90s and your four. Well, so I did because I did imagine that because I was imagining that.

Hell yeah. And Leona like we were like, don't worry, it's not real. And then she plugged her ears. And then she took them off and she's like, it's not even that scary. And we were like, yay. Well, you know what? I think it's because a bunch of four years were getting scared. it way down.

It used to be like, like you couldn't speak through it. Like it was loud. I will say the lightning was everywhere. Super dark. Like it was a little alarming because the lights just all went out and then it was like flash, you know. And so it was like a little alarming. But she used to be a horrible.

We also like talked both of the, she, we talked to her and her cousin were like, it's just pretend. It's going to. And so they were like very prepared for the for the monsoon. But yeah, we had a wonderful time. And it was. Yeah, it was great. it was great.

And when you said Olive Garden, I was like, wait, I have a fast casual, or not fast casual, a family style casual, whatever the fuck you want to call it, a theme restaurant also that I went to. But you went to Olive Garden, which is something I missed. We were talking about that before you recorded that I said like, oh, I went to, I have acid reflex from Olive Garden today. And then you said, I have to talk about it. I said, I have to tell you something later when the camera's on. Did you see the bar stools that look like animal butts with the tails?

Oh, oh, my God. If only I had had the patience to wait for people to stand up so I could take pictures on those. And you know what really grinds my goddamn gears? You tell me. I know I've told you this before, but there's only one rainforest cafe in the world that also is a water ride. You know about this? No. No.

Oh, okay. So last time we had a show in Texas, it's in grapevine, Texas. I think. I think it's somewhere that's like not a city we went to. It was like an hour away. But as soon as I remembered it was there, I got in my rental cart and I fully. Like, I was, um, but it's a rainforest cafe and next to the bathrooms there's just like little tunnel and you go down the tunnel. And all of a sudden there's a literal water like theme, like an amusement ride, like an attraction.

And it you, I have a video. Do you mean like, is it like a log ride or is like you have a bathing suit? You're sitting in like, oh, you don't get wet, but you're in like a river ride where you're sitting in one of those. It's essentially like the log flume rides at the. amusement park, but it's a circle and like you're all sitting in a circle together. Oh my God. I love those. And you go through like, you see the drafts and the monkeys and the elephants and there's music playing. Wait, now that's fun. Oh, I'm like, why is there only one of these? No, that they have to do at all of them. The thing that grinds my fucking gears here. Listen closely, everybody,

especially anyone at Rainforest Cafe Water Park specific corporate. Not a goddamn shirt. Not a pin, not a button. Sorry, I will key you up. Oh, no. Nothing that says I rode the world's only reinforced cafe water ride. Hey, I'm one thing to say to you. Sick. Someone make it.

Be the change you wish to see in the world. You have a cricket machine and a Netsi account. That's right. I don't know what we're doing here. But I didn't survive the ride. I really hope. It's called, if someone makes me sure. It's called stolen valor if I do it.

I survive. Actually, I'll make you one. I'll make you a shirt. I'll look up the date that I did so that you can put a date on the shirt. Oh, my God, I'll write like August 1980. I'll say, I got bombed at the Rainforest Cafe. Wait a minute. I'll find the video and I'll put it in in our group chat so that way we can put that off for everybody.

Because of course I filmed it. And thank God. Well, I think I'm the only person on Earth who was jazzed about it because I went down there. I was the only person on the ride, by the way. That's crazy. And the person who like worked. was running the ride, she could tell I was like a little too excited about this. And she let me do the ride like five times.

Oh, hell yeah. And I didn't see a single soul the entire time. It was just me and a rainforest in the river. I mean, it's like, it's like great, but also like, what the hell people? They're going to close it if nobody's doing it. I was like, there are children in this restaurant. Why isn't anyone doing this right now? Because if you're going to pay for that, it's probably expensive to have that.

It was like a dollar. No, I mean, but oh yeah. So like to have this running, like it's an expense for the restaurant. Like, come on people. Yeah, I don't know what was going on. I was, I was, it had, the whole thing felt like a favorite dream. And then also if like when I was riding it like one of the times, I looked up at the ceiling, which I should have not done because then I just remembered I was like in a warehouse. There's just like dust hanging from those rafters.

Oh, can I tell you a secret? Because my brother doesn't list to this podcast. Tell me. So don't tell him everybody. But there is a ride at Kings Island that I'm sure I've talked about called Boo Blasters growing up. And it was like, uh, scooby-do one. Because, yeah, the Scooby-D one, because we both had Paramount. Right?

We both had Paramount. You had Kings Island. That's right. Yeah, they were both Paramount. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so there was a, and it was our favorite ride. We loved it. And it's, they just closed it and they're auctioning off all the pieces.

You have to get some. I'm getting my brother. Well, I'm hoping to, but I'm going to, I have like a timer on and everything. And they have like a hundred different items on there of just like random shit. Like they have the scoreboard. They have all the like cough, the glow in the dark. like heads that pop out of stuff. I mean, I'll send you the link because it's crazy.

Please send me the link. Just to peruse. And the auction starts in a few days. So I'm like, I have a timer set. But there's one that's like, because a lot of them are huge. And I'm like, my brother cannot fit like this giant coffin in his apartment. And I don't expect him to. But they had one one, which is called, it's called a friend in the kitchen or something.

And it's a little rat. And he's like crawling into like a thing. and he has like the little target where you're supposed to shoot at him. And he's like kind of his thing. And I'm like, I want to get him that little rat guy from the auction. I don't know how much these things kind of auction for. I have no clue. I have no clue.

Either shockingly higher or shocking. That's exactly what I'm expecting. If there's a King's Dominion for some reason, ours shut down a long time ago. But if something happens to be King's Dominion on there, please. I'm going to send me the link because I don't know that because it's for the whole, the whole like, whatever overarching thing that is. Oh. And they have.

I think they might have other auctions on there too. Oh, that's so fun. So let me send you that. But anyway, so that's the fun fact about. I'll go find my, um, my rainforest cafe ride. Uh, because obviously I filmed it for everybody. Yes, yes, yes, yes. And I'm not kidding.

I really need a shirt. If anybody can handle that for me, that would be super great. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's called the River Adventure. That's what it's called the Rainforest Cafe River Adventure. I survived the Rainforest Cafe River Adventure. Okay, this says boo blasters. everything must gole.

I can't breathe. I know, I know, I know. Oh, I'm simply just so joyous today. And on a Friday the 13th, it's a good day. It is a good day. But folks, don't go out there and ruin my time trying to get this rat, please. Don't check up the prices, please. Let's rally together.

It's going to be... That is if everyone wants to just bid on these random dusty-ass things from King's Island. Like, wow, I know everyone's going to be scrambling to get... You don't be precious, though, is if someone else bought it just a send to Zandi, so you didn't have to do it. Yeah, but see, I thought about that, but then I was like, then we'd both be driving the price higher and higher, and it's like, who needs that? Nobody needs it. There was a Kardashians episode like that where both of them were betting on the same dress and then, like, they were, it was very expensive. Oh, because they were, oh my God. They didn't realize they were both.

Oh, my God. I was trying to get it because it was like their dream dress and the other person and the producers are like, Teehee, and it's like, ah. Well, they were trying to do a nice thing because one of the sisters was doing it like for the other sister because she knew she would love it. And the The other one was just like, this other bitch won't stop taking my dress. That's actually a very good, like, conceit for a show, yeah. Yeah. I'm sending you one specific one that's, like, so funny. But, like, they're just wild.

And they're so janky because they're just, like, they said, we're selling them as is. We just cut all the cables and put them in a warehouse. Oh, wow. Oh, I'm so excited to look through this. And they have the signs, like, exit and, like, no beverages on this attraction. I mean, that little log, that, like the lot 21. Isn't that cute? Yeah. That little log, I mean, that could be my flamingo scroll.

They could just be the ghosts just telling everybody what's going on. Oh, M.G. Well, if you want anything, I'm going to pick it. I'm hopefully going to pick up my little friend in the kitchen, my little rat. And so if you want anything, I'll pick yours up, too. I appreciate it. But look, they have these, like, portraits. Oh. Like, like, portraits of the people you're supposed to.

I love this. And they all have, like, names, which, like, you wouldn't know. when you do the ride, but they all have like hyper-specific names. Oh, his name's Kitchen Visitor. Kitchen Visitor. He's like a little rat. You simply must purchase. I know, right?

And he has like a little target. And he's like, oh, he's so cute. So I'm going to try to get him. Anyway. I can't wait. Okay, well, good luck on your auctions. It opens in four days. Well, okay, I will see.

And everyone, thank you for listening to this very long episode. But happy Friday 13th. Happy Friday. Belated. And that's why we drink.