The Zach Nichols Podcast - Vets and New Threats Episode 15 Review with Cedric Hodges! | ZNP EP. 135

Episode Date: November 7, 2025

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This is Cedric. Welcome to the Zach Nichols podcast. They were going to be talking about my love life, lack thereof, a whole bunch of challenge things, some memories and the future. Or, you know, hopefully I don't die tomorrow. So see you there. And if I do, at least you have this. Welcome back to the Zach Nichols podcast. We're here today with the big fetuccini.

No round of applause. But more importantly, Cedric Hodges all the way from Idaho. Oh. And he was just actually sharing his age with me. And you know what, buddy, if condoms weren't around back in then, you could be my son. Damn. That's how old I am. 20.

If condoms weren't an invention, sitter could be my son. That's today's lesson. Safe sex. Practice safe sex. Yeah, because you don't want to be my age with the son, his age. I mean, I mean, you know. Actually, it'd be kind of cool. Yeah, play the same league, kind of.

You know what I mean? Be out of diapers. We've done a challenge season together. That's what I'm saying. A father's son challenge, like, in real life would be pretty crazy. Yeah. And then he'd have daddy problems because I'd have been on the challenge while he was growing up.

He would have abandoned me. Yeah. Like my real dad. Yeah, I would have said I'm going to go and get milk and you never seen me again. Exactly. It'd have been on the challenge. I was a 15 year old dad.

Yeah, babe, I'm going to go get milk. Actually, I wouldn't even be able to drive to get milk. My mom's going to take me to get some milk. So you'd be telling everybody in middle school like, no, no, that's my dad. And be like, I'm going to fuck out of here. You know what I'm still in high school? That's hilarious. Yeah, 15.

I was a freshman in high school. 2002. That's the birth year. 2002, yeah, yeah. Wow. That's great. Yeah, I saw a stat actually the other day. I'm the youngest challenger right now.

Like out. Like, oh, like current. No shit. Yeah. Well, what the book? No shit. I didn't know that. I was like, dang, it's pretty cool.

Yeah, listen, he's a new. He's new to the whole challenge culture. So did you watch any of the challenge before coming on it? Before coming on it, yeah. But before. No, I didn't live in a retirement home. Only because they're, when they were. like, hey, did this be something you're interested?

And I was like, let me watch. Yeah, but you weren't intimidated by what you saw. You weren't worried about it? I was for you. Bro, I'm going to be honest with you. When I, because I watched, we watched, not together, of course, but we did watch. You didn't watch. Like, we watched some big brother.

They're playing on the couch. Separate couches, same house. We watched Big Brother. And, I mean, once you got bounced because of. of Tucker, who's got the most slapable face in the history of reality. I was like, this guy's going to suck at the challenge. Two episodes in, everyone's like, dude, this guy's the shit. And I'm like, well, I'm wrong.

So I underestimated you for sure. Thank you. Yeah. Had I known you're from Idaho, though, I would have actually changed my tone. Really? Bro. People from that area, the country are resourceful. Let's just say that.

Yeah. Yeah. Everyone thought I was going to be a layup. Everyone's like, oh, why I put him on your way it's about to be alive? And, you know, we're getting close to the end. I'm still there. Yeah, you get to, the difference between, like, big brother games are mostly gimmicky. Yeah.

The challenge, like, there are some gimmicky things, but it leans more towards, like, if you're a dog, like, it comes out and you can prove it. Exactly. Yeah, I wouldn't say gimmicky, but I would say, like, carnival-esque, you know. You don't think carnival games are gimmicky? I honestly, if we're being so real, I don't know what the definition of gimmicky is. But I know what the definition of carnival is. So I was like, to be safe here? They're pretty much the same thing.

You know, pretty much. Okay. So, you, so you, after watching a little bit of this challenge, whatever they called you for, these people that you have no idea who they are, what they're calling you for, you were looking at the games, and you're looking at the physicality, and you're like, I'll be okay. And, I mean, is that, is that accurate? Yeah, for sure.

I mean, just like Zach was saying, the challenge I was actually excited for because it proves, like, you can go to a challenge and prove your dog. Like, it's hard to prove in Big Brother, you're, you really can't, because you're just hanging from a wall for two hours. Right. You know. There's very few, like, oh, go get it out the mud challenges in Big Brother. And for the challenge, like, yeah, every challenge almost is get it out the mud. And then worse comes to worst, you go to elimination. It's like, now you really got to fight. And I was excited for people to see that sort of side of me. I'm very, you know, bubbly, laughy. But at the end of the day, like, I'm here to win. Which has played in your advantage for sure. Pierre calls you the baby face killer.

Yeah, baby face assassin, bro. I really believe. I'm sorry. Yeah, just because it's a Steph Curry, you know what I'm saying? Right. And it looks like you haven't ever shaved before in your life. I was actually thinking I was like, I might have to start shaving. I looked at myself in the mirror day. I was like, I need a razor. Yeah.

A couple of those guys down there. Just like Buzz Lightyear, just the one, the one. No, but. I thought that was just his. Oh, his cleft chin? Damn, that would be some Bud Lightier information that I'd be embarrassed to not know. Bud Light Year? Bud Light Year.

He said Bud Light Year. Brother, I'm stoned. Okay. Dude, this is a kid. No, it's not. I mean, no, he's a young man. Young man. Okay, so we're going to go through the episode.

Then we're going to dive into who you are. But let's start. We come back from this Turbo Sydney, Ashley, and Leo elimination. A matchup, you had no part in voting because you and Michaela were the winners, something you've done quite a bit this season. How did it feel to join the ranks of LeBron, Peyton, Manning, Victor Wenna, as the number one overall pick. Come to Lachia.

Give a round of applause. Number one overall pick. You know, I appreciate that. Michaela's super dope and the go number one overall is just kind of um it was a blessing and it's also a testament I feel like throughout the season people haven't been able to really see what I've been up to and it was like a a checkmark to like oh Cedric is here to play because Michaela let's all be honest here sees everything yeah Michaela's not stupid right so for her to pick me it was it was definitely a strategic decision it was going to advance her game one of the best new threat athletes with the

smallest target because you set up that small target. I appreciate that very, very smart. You came into the game very smart. I got to give you that. You knew, like, I'm going to play this, like, bubbly young guy who's just always laughing here for a good time. But what I will say, the longer you've been there, the more I can tell you're, like, done with the bullshit.

Like, even when you're like, bro, they're in my alliance, but this is a stupid move. I'm like, oh, he's starting to cry. He's going to have an Ashley moment. He's going to freak out. Hey, you said it this time. You got a little heated this episode, but the graphing calculator that is Michaela. She knows all the answers. She knows the ways to get all the answers.

She put it in her calculations and you were her pick. You said it right, too. Michaela sees everything. And after seeing everything, you were her pick. So. You wish that Michaela would play a little bit more of your game, though, like be more sociable. Because Aviv is voting with you guys. But Aviv's also playing that like a little bit opposite, like not young, by way, but older

motherly like I'm friends with everyone like Michaela could take on a little bit of that I know she's like against being fake but like being fake to win a couple of half mills seems like a good deal to me right yeah and fake is shit for way less you know I think for Michaela it would be it'd be really hard especially because he's established herself as kind of this upfront character so the switch I think would have a negative effect on her I think that Michaela and I's partnership was so like coherent because we're both strategic and we both know, but we're very opposites, right? Like it's two coin, the same coin, two sides.

She's very in your face like, yo, I don't like you. Get out of here. But it's all makes sense. Like, it's all logical. It's not of a place of like, I hate you as a person. Like I'm going to put you in because I hate you as a person. It's like it's to advance her game. But she's very upfront for me.

It's like sometimes things are best unsaid. You know what I mean? Yeah. Well, she was rubbing off on you this episode when you were just watching Navve and you were like, man, I can't deal with this shit. But it's like maybe you guys. should be doing that shit because right they're going to go for you guys before they go for a viz is the point you think so i think they they do have a big target in their back because

you're me is like this guy that like wants to run 100 miles but at the same time what you're seeing though is a lot of times relationships and take precedence over like the threat especially once you've been in if you guys were like able to go out go home and then just come in to compete maybe it'd be different but when you're you're living in the same house with people, I think a lot of times people are like, Michaela doesn't like me, she told me that I want to get rid of her. Yeah. So I'm like, sometimes I wonder if maybe she's too rough around the edges and like, she backs

it up. Like she's a, she's a beast. Don't get me wrong. But like sometimes it's like, I was a lot like that when I was younger. And then towards when I got to my later challenges, I was like, I'm just to be nice to everyone. You know what I'm saying? Like, who cares?

Like, I can go home and talk all my shit. Right. But I'm going to just make sure everyone thinks I love them. Right. Yeah, exactly. And I think that... You don't like turbo? No. There's some turbo beef. We're going to get into turbo talk in a second, but sorry, go. You're good. I think the challenge, or like when you do reality competition games, I imagine

everybody is, have you ever played the games where like you spec your things and it gives you like a little diamond, you know? Like you're like, oh, I put two in charisma and like it goes up to charisma. I imagine it's hard for people to kind of diversify equally. So Michaela's lack, right, is her social aspect of the game if she doesn't like you. but her she she took the social points and put them in physicality and strategy so she doesn't need that kind of social aspect it would definitely benefit her yeah yeah yeah it would definitely and you wish that she would play that a little bit more as her partner or are you kind of just like that concludes the free preview of the zekn Nichols podcast so go to patreon and subscribe to see

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