New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce - Heights Hotline | The Best Thanksgiving Side Dish, Dry Ass Turkey & Is Halloween the New Christmas?

Episode Date: November 21, 2025

92%ers, it's time for another edition of the Heights Hotline! On today’s episode, Jason and Travis respond to your Holiday Hot Takes. We debate if Halloween has overtaken Christmas as the best holiday, try to figure out why we even eat turkey, and somehow we end up defending the honor of sweet potatoes. Call us at 929-399-7260 to be featured in the next installment of the Heights Hotline.We’ve got even more New Heights coming your way. Tune in Monday for our guest episode with Erin Andrews and Charissa Thompson! Watch and listen to new episodes of New Heights every Wednesday during the NFL season and follow us on Social Media for all the best moments from the show: https://lnk.to/newheightshowYou can also listen to new episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. ...Download the full podcast here:Wondery: https://wondery.app.link/s9hHTgtXpMbApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-heights/id1643745036Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/1y3SUbFMUSESC1N43tBleK?si=LsuQ4a5MRN6wGMcfVcuynwCheck out New Heights on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR2MJWYS?ref=blogSend something to the New Heights Mailbox. Don’t be weird though. C/O New Heights Productions135 E OLIVE AVE, BURBANK, CA 91502Shop all the New Heights merch at https://homage.com/newheights Support the show: GILLETTE: Visit https://Gillette.com/NFL for more information!REESE’S OREO® CUPS: Grab REESE’S OREO Cups today, wherever candy is sold!KFC: This Thanksgiving, cluck turkey. Go for the better bird.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Halloween is actually a better holiday than Christmas. You're a fucking idiot, Thaddeus. Christmas is cool and all, but Halloween's the best. I'm trying to think in what world somebody would think Halloween is better. And the only thing that makes sense is that their parents gave them a shit Christmas. So if you put that on Thadius' parents. I'm definitely putting that on Thaddeus' parents. That's the only possible way Thaddeus thinks that is that his parents gave him a sh**y Christmas.

If I'm just going to be honest, I'm kind of what that is in this one. Apparently Brandon's parents gave him a shitty Christmas as well. Welcome to this bonus episode of New Heights, a Wondry show, and we're your host. Travis Kelsey is my big brother, Jason Kelsey. Subscribe on YouTube, Wondry Plus, or wherever you get your podcast, and follow the show on all social media at New Heights Show with 1S. And Jason is now going to tell you what exactly you get in this bonus episode. That's right.

Welcome to today's bonus episode. That's right. Maybe you're here because you stumbled across us. on your phone or internet or whatever your device is. Maybe you're here to see Travis Kelsey or listen to his voice. Just maybe you're here to listen

to some holiday hot takes from some of the 902 percenters, call-ins and other shenanigans about holidays and hot takes. All right, here we go. We've got a few options. The bold ones seem to be the ones that they prefer us talking about.

I say you just go ahead and hit the bold ones. All righty. Holiday, Halloween, better than Christmas. I can already know this is not. Hey, this is Thaddeus from Kansas City. Baddius, great name. My holiday hot take is that Halloween is actually a better holiday than Christmas. You're a fucking idiot, Thaddeus.

You had us with Thaddeus and then you lost this. Just better all-around vibes. You get to spook kids and play pranks. And Christmas is cool and all, but Halloween's the best. All right. It's a hot take it easy. It's a hot take. I mean, he does share your love of scaring children.

It's a very hot take. I love Halloween. It's great. I'm very on board with Halloween. You can spook kids in Christmas, too. That's the thing about spooking is that you can spook kids whenever. Yeah, Christmas is the greatest holiday on the planet. There's not even something that compares to it.

Yeah, I'm just, there's just nothing that gets, like, people happy like Christmas does. It moves the stock market. That's how, like, influence. And you know what it is like consumer products. This is so ingrained into our culture and so like unanimously. I knew Jewish people that's celebrated Christmas. Don't. Don't say who they are because then they will be.

Fine. They'll be frowned upon. I think it's pretty commonplace at this point. I think I bet if you it's it's it's gone beyond religion at this point. It's like so ingrained into American culture. And it comes down to family giving. The holiday spirit, like all of it. Like, it's just, it's a fantastic holiday.

And I love Halloween, but, I mean, it couldn't sniff a fart of Christmas to be close to it. I mean, two weeks off on Halloween. That's right. That alone. It's remarkable. It's a hot take. It's a very bad take. All right.

Next one. Yeah, it's tough. Thaddiest, though. Great name. Horrible take on Christmas. This guy was getting cold for fucking presents every year. I just, the. joy that Christmas gives you just seeing the decorations going to Christmas parties the thanks

the joy of seeing another person open a present you give them like what is this going to be it's underrated like I just don't know that there's any I'm trying to think in like what world somebody would think how Halloween is better and the only thing that makes sense is that their parents gave them a shitty Christmas like I don't know what else they can fucking even his parents I'm definitely putting that off daddies's his parents that's the only possible way that he thinks that is that his parents gave him a shitty Christmas. He's just got to see it clear. He's got he's got candy vision.

He's got spooky vision. He's just got to see it for what it is. But Halloween has, I mean, Christmas has candy too. Candy canes. You hate candy canes. I love candy canes. What? You don't like candy cans?

Candy corn is shit. Yes, exactly. The candy that represents Halloween and the candy that represents Christmas is night and day better. for Christmas. They don't they don't make a Christmas Reesies. Yes, they do. It's a Christmas tree. Yeah, they make them, yeah.

That's not a stop. It's the same. You put candy in the stocking. It's basically the same thing, but you don't have to walk to other strangers' houses. You just get them from your loved ones. Nice. Thaddeus, you're kind of right, though.

Christmas candies, no. Now that we've done Halloween candy. I'm kind of with that is. If I'm just going to be honest, I'm kind of what that is in this one. Apparently Brandon's parents gave him a shitty Christmas as well as. Oh, God. This is a fair.

failure. Anybody who thinks Halloween is better than Christmas, their parents have failed them. I had a great Christmas. I just, I've turned into a Halloween guy in my, in my old age. I don't know how that happened. Halloween's fine, but it's no, it doesn't hold a candle to Christmas. What were you? What were you this year, Brandon? Me? Oh, we did at one battle after another. I was Benicio de Toro. I was sense. Oh, that's right. I saw that. Lauren was in DiCaprio. Yeah, great costume. The dog was Sean Penn from that movie. Great costume. Have you ever tried to put a wig on a dog on Christmas?

See, that's a Halloween thing. Thank you to our partner, Gillette. All right now, Jason, you've been retired for a full year. Let's talk pregame rituals. Do you miss them? Still have them? I kind of have one, I guess, for Monday Night Countdown. Like, I kind of go do the production meeting.

Then I kind of iron out what's happening in the rundown. Then I go to the makeup lady. Then I go to the hair. and then I go on set. I was just curious to see if you were putting that same game day energy into your new broadcasting routine. That's all. Well, first and foremost, it includes making sure that this beard

is looking real nice, which is finally starting to show some of my grades again. After dyeing it, I'm getting those natural colors back. Thank you. Thanks so much. But yeah, I have some grooming individuals that make sure it's looking nice and tight. If you were looking for a tool to help wrangle it in a little bit,

look no further than Gillette Labs NFL licensed razor. Special edition razors have those long-lasting Gillette Labs blades and the precision trimmer on the back that's perfect for cleaning up this guy. Nice. I hear it's a must-have for NFL fans this season and clearly you too. Sold available now in 12 teams, including the Eagles and Chiefs. Get it while you can at Gillette. com slash NFL.

Gillette, the best a fan can get. Thank you to our presenting sponsor, Reesies, Oreo cups. Ooh, Recy Oreo, nice. Rees' cups with Oreo cookie crumbs included. You asked for it. We definitely asked for it, and it is finally happening. For those of you that don't know, we just said Reesies, Oreo cups. That's right.

They also have regular Oreos with peanut butter in the middle. Two fan favorites coming together to make everyone's day a million times better. Wait a minute. Could Reese's Oreo cups be like the Kelsey Brothers of Candy? Which one of us is Rees and which one of us is Oreo? Which one of us is Reesies and which one of us is Oreo? Yeah. Are we talking about Oreo with peanut butter in the middle or Oreo with white in the middle?

Just regular Oreo. I mean, I'm clearly Oreo. I'm a little bit darker. You got to love it. So grab these Reese's Oreo Cups today. Wherever candy is sold, better yet, grab them right now. Or we're going to grab them first because they are seriously that good. They are.

And we wouldn't lie to you. They're very good. Thank you to our sponsor, KFC. Are you a dark meat or a breast coming? When you get KFC, you can get it all. Just put it in that bucket. It's true. Thanks again.

He's coming up and KFC's starting a little holiday debate. Turkey or chicken. Not much of a debate if you ask me. Yeah, let's be real. It's the you need gravy to survive it, Bird. It's beige of all that. Let's be honest. Is it really worth spending eight hours cooking a turkey when you could just get something better,

especially if it just causes you to go through a drive-thru and get a bucket of it, maybe? How about KFC's extra crispy chicken, juicy, crispy, and always finger-licking good, baby? Extra crispy does sound good. It's the underdog choice for all your holiday gatherings. KFC is saying cluck turkey this Thanksgiving. That's right. We're inviting all of you to give dry turkey the bird. It's time to ditch the dry, boring bird this holiday and order KFC instead.

You can't go wrong with a bucket of chicken, a good game or movie or just some good times with friends and family. Everybody's going to love it. If you show up to a Thanksgiving meal with extra crispy chicken from KFC, people are going to love you. Especially a bucket of it. If you come with a bucket of extra crispy fried chicken from KFC, you're going to get some thank yous. This year, skip the turkey and celebrate with KFC's extra crispy chicken. Hi, you, Travis. I would like to give an extreme hot take since the damn season, and that is turkey is one of the worst dishes on Thanksgiving of all time.

It's so dry, and people who like it, just are weird. Thank you. Listen, I'm fully, this is why I fry turkey. It's hard to eat turkey unless it's deep fried and, like, you know, boiled in fat grease. We never had turkey. We agree. We purposely never had turkey. Mom would make pork chops or some other meat.

I love everything else about, well, I take that back. I love most other things about Thanksgiving fare, right? I'm a big mashed potatoes guy. I'm a big corn guy. Connie makes a badass green bean casserole. Fucking love that dish. Mama Kelsey dinner rolls, like everything else about Thanksgiving is so fantastic. And then it gets kind of muddled down with, for the most part, the way most people make it a dry-ass bird that you got to slather gravy and cranberry sauce on to redeem anything about it.

I mean, it's just the honest. You got to fry it. You got to fry it or you got to be in that thing nonstop injecting it with like. You got to fry it or you got to fucking spatchcock that sucker. There you go. Spatchcock it. Or what you haven't tried yet, it's turduckin. You've got to stuff that thing with the duck.

You're right. I have not tried the turduckin, but I'm very in on it. The premise of it sounds incredible. I'm out. What else was, oh, the other thing that I don't, pumpkin pie is okay, but I think it's also commonplace for a lot of people, maybe I'm wrong on this, apple pie around Thanksgiving. I'll go on this. Apple pie has got to be the most overrated dessert on the fucking history of top shelf dessert.

it's got to be there's got to be a fuck ton of cinnamon in that thing it's got to be a fuck ton of cinnamon and butter and i got to fucking that's got to overpower the apple i'm just not apple pie just doesn't i like ice cream so like when you put it with ice cream i'll do it that's the thing that's another thing i am definitely more of a cake guy than a pie guy although um steven cookies down the shore they make a mean blueberry pie it is fucking incredible see blueberry pie different type of pie and this is they do it weird to it like isn't as like I guess like jelloy, you know what I mean? Like a lot of the pie is like a texture thing that I just don't really warm fruit doesn't

make me excited. I like cold fruit. Noted. I'm trying to think there are pies that I like though. Pumpkin pie is not bad. Pumpkin pie. Key lime is the only one. Key lime.

Cold fruit. Key lime pie is the closest thing to like cheesecake that I'll ever have. I feel like raspberries would be good in a pie. It's got to have a little bit more like tartness for it to be good. Apples just don't bring that, like, note that really makes me enjoy it that much. I need something in the inside that doesn't just, like, give me like a comp. You know what I mean? Like a, like a comp.

You know what I'm talking about? I think it's C-O-M-P-T-E is what you're thinking about. There it is, yeah. But it's a compote? It's compote. C-O-T-E, right? There you go. I think it's comp.

I think I know it's too. Either way, I don't like that. That stuff I'm out on. I don't mind if it's cold. I just, there's something about the warmness of pie that it's just out. Desserts, I don't like warm desserts. Were you ever, uh, uh, apple, uh, apple. That's not true.

I will do some warm desserts. That's not true. I'll take that back. Uh, what? Were you ever a caramel apple guy? No. Oh. I don't like it.

I like apples. I will eat an apple by itself. Apple with caramel. I'm not a big, like dressing. I like apple and peanut butter. I'll throw some peanut butter on that apple. So you don't like caramel. is what you're saying.

I like caramel on certain things. I just don't really... The other thing is, like, a caramel apple for me with a beard to eat is just, like, sounds like the biggest disaster of all time. Like, it's going to be fucking everywhere. I'm not... Yeah. Yeah, you could cut it up, I suppose.

I just... Like, I like caramel in certain things. I like caramel mixed with chocolate. I don't like caramel with apple. No. All right. Nice. Noted.

Yeah. Anyways, I don't know what we just got. I don't know where that even came from or how we cast. All right. Sweet potatoes. Let's go. Let's hear it. Okay, so my Thanksgiving holiday hot take is that sweet potatoes have no place in a Thanksgiving menu.

Wipped, Mac, roasted. They are just the least of the least. They're the worst thing on the table. You're fucking on your mind. This guy's a fucking idiot. Maple syrup. It just, it's a dessert. Yeah.

You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. What are you trying to watch your calories? Put a marshmallow on top. Put a meringue on top. Just have a burger.

But you don't need sweet potatoes on your menu. You've got, you could do roasted root vegetables. You can do your mashed vegetables. Roasted root vegetables? All kinds of other things, carrots, honey glazed carrots. Honey, I'm in on honey glazed carrots. Now you're just getting carrots to dessert. Honey glazed carrots.

And they just don't go well. They don't know how much of potatoes. It's a good dish, basically, in a whole bunch of savory stuff. You're not going to put your gravy over your sweet potatoes. You're not going to, you know, take a Brussels sprout and dip it in your Sweet potato. This is weird. He's all over the place.

He's all over the place. He's got marshmallows, maple syrup, and that's it. It's wrong. It should not be on a Thanksgiving table. That's my best hot take. Well, you're wrong. Sweet potatoes and marshmallows and freaking... I think potatoes and sweet potatoes both should be on the table.

You don't need to have one or the other. Sweet potato fries. If somebody made soup potato fries, I'd be fucking jazzed personally. I don't understand the roasted root vegetables. But like, this guy walks fucking... Where the fuck? He's the... That is...

You want to talk about a hot take. You want beats in here? Like, what are we talking about? And then he said, like, you can't, you can't candy up the sweet potato, but you can have candied carrots with honey glaze on them? Listen, if you gave me the choice of honey glazed carrots or sweet potatoes and marshmallow on them, I'm taking the sweet potatoes of marshmallow all day. Some roasted honey carrots are good, though, man.

I don't, I'm not in on the honey carrots. Dude, I got you. Yeah? No. Carrots, when they get roasted, they just get mushy. They get too mushy for me. No, you still got to have that crunch a little bit of that. Yeah, but if it has, if it's cooked perfectly, I can do it.

Yeah. But I just, I prefer carrot cake. That's how I prefer my carrots. Ooh, see, now we're talking. Cream cheese frosting. I didn't know you were a carrot cake guy. Next time you're in the city, I got a place. Dude.

Get these little carrot cupcakes and make you feel like you're not doing too much. I'm not a big frosting guy. The only reason I think I like carrot cake is because of the cream cheese frosting. It is. dude i got the place for you it's good it's so good i got the place for you like what do we make an apple pie for just put the carrots in there jack stack has one of the best carrot cakes ever dude it's so good that people like just like go in and get the care cake like cupcakes just so that they don't feel too bad about getting the entire fucking mammoth of a cake that that you could get there we have a couple

spots around here that we'll go and specifically just get the carrot cake and then we'll eat it like two fatties all day. It's the best. And they do, they just slab that fucking cheesecake icing on there. It's so fucking good. No doubt. We're big stocks people as well in Philadelphia. That's a big dessert one for us. I don't know how we keep getting back to desserts. We keep getting back to desserts. All right. We're talking about sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are fine. They're good. They're fucking awesome. I mean, you can have sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes. I don't think you have to differentiate between these two. And I disagree. Like, you can do sweet potatoes. You can do sweet potatoes with marshmallows and the maple glaze and then at the end of the day you can have your

dessert too like what do we're not calorie counting on thanksgiving no that's not what we're doing here we're making the most delicious thing possible if that may mean throwing marshmallows on top of it bring it on brother bring it out put us throw that shit on top throwing roasted root vegetables like that's fucking gonna get it done unless you're throwing fucking marshmallows on those guys coming with beats i don't even know if i'd like that yeah i don't even know i mean i don't like beets but that's if you like put it with goat cheese and smother a bunch of fucking salad dressing on it i just had a beat beer in las vegas it was a it was like a beet sour your actually wasn't bad curiosity to know what shit tastes like it wasn't bad blows my mind

the fact that you actually had i'm in i'm in i'm trying to beat you'll try you'll try any kind of fucking beer and it's absolutely disgusting you had you brought you gave me a fucking blueberry It wasn't disgusting. And I wanted to fucking shoot myself. Probably great. It was disgusting. I like experimenting. I like a little citrus lime or something or like a...

Yeah, a little garage beer lime. I got you. I like a cider. I'll drink a cider. Ciders, I'm not a big cider guy. It's too much. It's too sweet. But beat beer was good.

It was okay. I wouldn't want to drink a bunch of it. But for one glass, it was a unique flavor profile. It had like a borsh. soury kind of thing happened and it was not bad that's all I got for his sweet potato take yeah the sweet potatoes I mean

that was a rough take that was a rough take this is my last question coming from me just based on that conversation oh gosh really quick no though this is good this is good last question real quick what is the best Thanksgiving side dish one two three go ready green bean cassero

ooh travis mac and cheese maggin cheese yeah okay I knew I knew it was more of a travis on this one I knew we were locked in the problem with mac and cheese Is it's not? No, that's where you're wrong. The problem, there is no problem. Well, here's the problem.

If anything. It's an everyday, like, not the way, not the way you make it on Thanksgiving. Yes, it is. You guys make it all the time? You guys are like, you guys are not just doing it out of the box? You do it? I've had a baked a thousand times too, yes. Like, I don't, it's not always out of the box.

I'm not, green meat casseroles. Like an exclusive thing to Thanksgiving. Really? Maybe in your household, not mine. the sweet potatoes Travis is having it every goddamn day I'm having it never Travis is not having a green meat

gas room that's true it's mac and cheese I'll go one step further mac and cheese the day after get that congealed I'll go one step further into mac and cheese is the most overrated dessert or a side item it's not

I'm not a big mac and cheese guy Travis has always been a big mac and cheese guy I've never been a big macchise guy so now we have Canada mad at us we have the mac and cheese fans mad at us we're just going down it's okay I just think it's overrated it's not there's a thousand other things you can have cheesy and i would prefer i think

when you get it just right and it's got like that baked crust that is yeah i hear you i hear you it's not bad if you get the crunchies to it get the crunchies it's good it's good you also can fuck it up real good too i've seen some people deliver some wet ass noodles it is not good i don't like shit too cheesy that green bean cassero goddamn i can't wait wait is kyley make that what's in this green bean what do you make on thanksgiving jason what do you help with i fry the turkey and Kylie doesn't even eat that. So I pretty much make a turkey for myself.

This guy's so fucking funny. She doesn't trust me cooking this shit that's cooking it right. What's in this cassero? I believe I could be wrong because I've never made it. Green beans are a component. I believe it's like this mushroom. Oh my gosh.

What's it called? It's like a cream mushroom thing that's like the base of it. Yeah. It's like a creamy texture. Oh, Travis is out. I know we've lost it. And then it's got fried onions on top of it, basically. Like, it's across the board.

I think Travis is not a big fan of grape casserole. I think when I was there, I tried it just because I was appreciative and thankful. Like, my dad always taught me. I'm looking at pictures of it. I know Travis is out on this. This is the anti-Travs Kelsey dish. One thing we never had growing up that I'm a big fan of is cranberry sauce. But Kylie only likes the, like, canned cranberry sauce.

She's correct. I don't like the canned cranberry sauce. as much as I like actually made cranberry sauce. Yeah, because canned isn't actually made. Well, it's, it's like more, I like a fresh cranberry sauce made rather than a cranberry sauce that's... I want to see the ridges. I want to see the out.

I don't like that. I don't like that. I don't like that. I don't like that. I want that thing to call them plopping out and don't even touch it. Just let it sit as a cylinder. Like spam. Yeah.

That's what it looks like. Let it be nasty. All right. So you like Jello. Exactly. That's what it is. Jello's technically cold fruit. I always steered clear.

year of jello because it was always like hospital food that is a little weird i feel like pudding's more of a hospital food in my mind i would like eat the jello packs like they were fun dip but i wouldn't i wouldn't i wouldn't fucking i wouldn't i wasn't very very in on that's very funny it's so funny just dipping your little finger in there like that's like a kool-lade play that's odd you would do that with jello packing oh you know what you know what that It might be... No, I think it was jello. I think it was jello.

I think you could tetically do it with jelly, too. It's just sugar and fruit powder. Yeah. Little Travis Kelsey would just green-ass fingers. I wonder what he's been doing. All right. And that wraps up another edition of Heights Hotline. That's right.

We'll have some more bonus content for you all in December, so stay tuned for what that might be. And now, once again, New Heights, a Wondry show. Please follow the show on all social media at New Heights Show with Wennis. And we give a big shout out. Thank you to our production crew for always making this so much easier and so much more fun than it could ever be. And thank you to the 92 percenters for listening to us talk about absolutely nothing, but kind of something. Oh, same time. We love you guys.

Happy Thanksgiving. Mom and dad. Mom and mom. Dad and dad. Whatever. Parents. Are you about to spend? five hours in the car with your beloved kids this holiday season.

Driving old Granny's house? I'm setting the scene. I'm picturing screaming, fighting. Back-to-back hours of the K-pop Demon Hunter's soundtrack on repeat. Well, when your ears start to bleed, I have the perfect thing to keep you from rolling out of that moving vehicle. Something for the whole family! He's filled with laughs.

He's filled with rage. The OG Green Grump, give it up for me, James Austin Johnson as The Grinch! And like any insufferable influencer these days, I'm bringing my crew of lesser talented friends along for the ride with A-list guests like Gronk, Mark Hamill, and the Jonas Brothers, whoever they are. There's a little bit of something for everyone. Listen to Tis the Grinch Holiday Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.