The Zach Nichols Podcast - Cutthroat Episode 1 & 2 Review with Producer Mike! | ZNP EP. 179

Episode Date: August 7, 2026

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All right, here we go. Welcome back to Zach Nichols podcast. We got big things to talk about. Huge. The drought is over, baby. The challenge is back on. And I got to say, those first two episodes were absolute fire.

Absolutely. Absolute fire. Just flames. Just absolute flames. Round of applause for the challenge for bringing the fucking heat. I thought T.J. when he said it was going to be great, like on our podcast, I was like, okay, like he's got to say that.

A little bit of gas. Yeah, a little bit of gas. Bro. He wasn't playing. I mean, we got to, most seasons, you have to wait an entire season to see a decision between C.T. and bananas happen. We got that first episode. That's right.

We got Michelle making that decision. 45 minutes in. You know. Tears. Listen. Listen. Tears and beers. Cudos.

I will say, the way the game is laid out. I don't want to say chef's kiss because I think that's overused, but like, perfect. Quote from T.J. If we could have made a season for the fans, this is it. What this, what this, the way they picked the teams, number one, and then the way that they pick who's going into elimination round, it never, like seasons get boring when the dust settles. The dust will never settle because there's not enough people on each team to really,

I mean, you can use numbers to stay safe for sure. Like, it could happen on certain teams, but the dust will never settle. It's going to keep moving and keep moving. because of the way they pick things. It's incredible. There is never a part in this game, which I like it. And I think this is the masterfulness

that you're talking about when you say chefs, there is never a situation in this game where you're going to be free of responsibility. Even as a winner, your team is calling a shot. Even as a second place, you're kind of in the most fucking volatile place. And as a loser, I think they could have flip-flopped those.

What do you think? What do you mean by that? Like, what happens the second place? I think should be what happens to the third place. mean, and it doesn't matter either way. And it does, it might change the way certain people play the game. Like if, like Cara or yeah, Cara, she wanted to win in episode two to get second place because it makes the captain safe. So that's why I'm like, it doesn't have to change because it does give us an element to now the gameplay where it's like, we'll see like what captains are going to be selfish.

Tori. I mean, maybe Tori didn't know, but I have a feeling if you know other three people that are on South Park and you say butters as the third, like the. fourth one, like, you're probably throwing it for some reason. Like, I'm like, save yourself. Like, that's what was so confusing, because I'm like, if you know the other three, if you know Cartman, you don't know Eric or whatever the ones you know, you say butters, I'm like, Tori, like, save yourself. But maybe that was like a gameplay move for her to be like, hey.

I'm safe regardless. But yeah, no, yeah, she was safe regardless, but not 100%. Like, she could have still gone in by being, but you know what I'm saying? Right. But she, instead of winning and being like, I'm the only one safe here, she was like, and I don't know if she threw it. We can ask her someday, hopefully. But if she did, it's like, what kind of Jedi mind track is this?

Or it's like, listen, like, I don't want you guys to think I'm selfish. I'm going to get second or I'm going to get third so that I'm still available. So that people don't think I'm playing a selfish game. A lot of questions in that second episode. You see what I'm saying, though? Yeah. She could have easily saved herself. And that's why Carr was probably like, thank God.

I got this, you know. So anyways. A lot to talk about the challenge blessed us with two very long episodes. By the way, Paramount Plus, they're doing a great job. That episode's available at 3 a.m. on Wednesday. Pretty freaking cool. I think that's a wild time. I don't understand the logic, but I'm not mad about it. I don't either because that's like when I'm up. So I'm like, I can watch it like without having to deal with being bothered.

Yeah. Before we talk about the challenge, a lot of pretty important Nichols things have happened in the past week. Just one. We have a 39th birthday round of applause for the birthday boy. Leap that out. I'm 30-ish. You're one away from. Sporty-40.

That doesn't, you know what's crazy is that like does not, I mean, as much as it's like, damn, you think about it. Like, damn, I'm old. But it doesn't bother me like it should. Like, I don't give a fuck. No, the bother is for people that they feel 40. I don't think you feel 40 at all. I don't know.

You know firsthand. I don't feel. Yeah. Are we doing this? Are we doing this? No, because there's nothing to argue about, but go ahead. My point is, is I think you're ready for combat at the ripe age of 39. You would know? No, yeah, I would know that I can be in that ring.

But anywho, first thing, then we had the birth of Vincent Nichols. Round of applause. Bill Nichols. Vincent, Boe. VBN. Well, his middle name isn't, it's John, but. I'm manifesting a freak athlete because while Bo isn't a traditional nickname for a child named Vincent, it is the nickname for the most famous Vincent to ever walk the planet, in my opinion, Vincent Bo Jackson. So I'm manifesting Anthony to become like Grancowski, but I want, I want this, my second boy, I want him to be like the best athlete at everything.

There we go. Bo knows. Bo can swim, Bo can run. He can play football. He's going to hit homers. I want Granikowski for Anthony, though. I want him to be like a six foot five to six foot seven, 260 pound tight end. That is just as crazy on and off the field. So Vincent John. Respectfully fun though, because Granc never did anything like too bad. He just had a great time. Yeah. That's what I want. So yeah, no. Party, loved women. My son was born. I was again, second child of row. I was on the golf course when my wife went into labor. I asked her very nicely. Like, hey, I'm on my way home. She said no finish.

And I took her for a word. And I did finish that round. She went to the hospital shortly after I got home. Because here's the thing. Once you start getting cramps, like, it's not like, like the thing with Carmelo where she was almost born in the car, that was because Jenna was pretty much in labor all day with me begging her, let's go to the hospital. Let's check something out.

Yeah. And she refused until she was crowning. So now when she tells me she has cramps, I know I have 10 to 12 hours. And so does she really. The thing with this birth was that Jenna was not ready to give birth. Like mentally. Mentally, she was not mentally prepared because she likes to prepare herself. And so since she had an induction date on the 12th, she thought she had a whole other week.

And so when she started to get the cramps, I think she was more so in denial. And so I wanted her to have like time to digest it all. So and so I finished golfing for her. Right. Yeah. That was a hard for her. I did it for her because like if I went home right away, I don't know if she was really mentally ready. she needed that time to mentally prepare.

So, yeah, then I... So thoughtful of you. Then I solo-doloed the kids for the rest of the day. Mom came over, headed to the hospital. After several road beers, I got there, and took a nap. Baby was born. And then, yeah, no, it was all good. Healthy.

Everything's good. So are we not considering VJ? Because he goes... Go get that. But VJ, Vincent John? I'm not going to call him VJ. And I'm not trying to, I don't, I want him to be calm. I don't want him to go to school and get roasted.

Yeah. I'm gonna, this is Vinny Chase, man. Vinny Chase, man. Vinny Chase, the goat. Congrats. Welcome for the world. You can't say that because I have an older son and three daughters. So they're all the greatest.

Oh, yeah. No, for sure. He's the younger brother. So drama, which is Tony Drama. That shows. Anthony drama. No, it's a goat show. That show is not better than the Sopranos.

Depends what you like. Like, anyways, let us know if sopranos are entourage. Do you think it's better than sopranos or entourage? I enjoy it. I enjoy it. I don't like fucking killing and fucking, fucking wars. But let's talk about like actually like cinematic and acting. You think it's a better made show.

Sopranos. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. That's what I meant. Totally. Okay. That's what I meant.

Because I, but I, that's why I'm going to say I enjoy like one of my favorite movies for a long time was American gangster. Like I loved Scarface. Like I'm, that's my shit. if I could come back and have zero consequences for anything I do in this life, I would be a drug dealer. Zero consequences? Like if you could tell me, like, you'll never go to jail and you'll never get shot,

what would I want to be? Slang and smack in Harlem. Oh, you wouldn't. But like having other people do it for me and make it millions. Got it. It's cool as shit, dude. Frank Lucas was the man. You know, like, never mind.

That's not a, that we shouldn't even get into that. But my point is, so I'll give it to you because you enjoy that. that L.A., whatever, that's yours. I like the brotherhood show. That's your. I like the friendship show. Whereas like I've always been into like mafia stuff.

Right. That's probably why I married Jenna. Because now I can be a part of it. The one thing that is really, really cool about the mafia culture is like, the fatter you are, the more money you get and the more girls you get. That's why I always wanted to be a mafia.

So it doesn't really work out my line of work, but I respect it. You couldn't be in the mafia. Why not? Because you have to, you have to like, you have to kill people. Oh shit.

Yeah, I can't do that. You're a pussy. Yeah, I won't do that. I won't do that. You won't even like kill. I won't even pay for sex. You know what I mean? Yeah. I'm trying to. I'm trying to talk myself. But you got late in June, so we're all good for like in another, what, 18 months?

Before you go into heat again? Okay. Anyways, you also, speaking of things coming out of your peepee, you pissed out a rock. I had a kidney stone on Tuesday evening. How was that? I mean, have you ever had one? No. Yeah, no, the most painful thing that ever happened to you is you probably stubbed your fucking toe.

So I was telling people the story all day yesterday. People were asking about you and saying, how's this is Zach? How's the kid? You told him a fucking dog? Yeah, I did. I said, he's just my said, so I get a call at 445, which isn't too rare because sometimes the beginning. I've been up for two hours. Sometimes the beginning of your days.

The end of mine. Wake up early. So I was like, it wasn't that crazy that he called me at that early. I was literally on my way home just being like, bro, I'm good because I did I text the chat? Yeah. So I texted it in the morning. afterwards or was it before. I just didn't know.

It was after. You know, I did it. I turned down painkillers, right? Yeah, well, that was part of the story. I was like, yeah, he turned. People were asking me, how's he doing? I know he had the kid and the kidney stone. I was like, oh, he's good.

He played golf at the last. The same. Kidney stone, 18 holes. Yeah, so let me tell the story. I fell asleep putting Anthony to sleep because, like, we do them like by age. And we don't want, I don't, I don't like necessarily love the idea. of just being like, go to your bed and go to sleep. So like, we'll sit with them, pray with them, maybe read a book with each one so that they all get kind of like their own little individual time with.

That's how you parent five kids, guys. Yeah. It takes forever. It takes like three hours. Starts at like 745, ends around 945. So Anthony is the last one. And sometimes like he'll be talking, talking, talking. And then I'll fall asleep.

So I woke up with one, my right leg hanging off of his bed. And it had been like two hours. And I got up and I was like, oh, man. Well, first, I got to admit I slept. that's another story i slept walk for a little bit went into the girl's room was trying to get my daughter a bottle she was dead asleep jena was like what are you doing and then i was like what and then i was like oh my back hurts and i was like probably because i was sleeping on anthony's bed and i've had a kidney stone before but like it didn't register to me because it's been eight nine years maybe eight years and uh so i go to

lay down in the bed i should be sleeping in you know next to my wife and i'm like oh my back is uncomfortable. But I could not figure out a way, because you don't really can you have a like a back spasm or your back sore like, like, there's a stretch that'll fix it or you got to find it. You can at least get into a position where you don't feel it for a little bit. Yeah. Nothing was working. And then all of a sudden it just hit me like a like a train, a freight train. I was like, oh my gosh. And the only reason why I knew was a keystone is because my brother went to the hospital the night before with a kidney stone. She still trying to pass it. And I was like, oh no, this is a kidney stone. So So I went and grabbed, like, you know, those like leaders of water?

Two of them slammed them both because I'm like, let's get this guy out. I got a tea time today at 11. And it's like 1.45 in the morning. And Jenna's like, what are you doing? I was like, I have a kidney stone. And she's like, I'm going to call an ambulance because that concludes the free preview of the Zach Nichols podcast. So go to Patreon and subscribe to see the rest of the shit that we talk. Go do it now.