The Zach Nichols Podcast - Vets and New Threats Episode 16 Review with Brad Fiorenza! | ZNP EP. 136

Episode Date: November 14, 2025

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What's up? It's your boy, Brad, back on the Zach Nichols podcast. We're about to chop it up, review the last episode, and turn it up. Welcome back to the Zach Nichols podcast. I'm here with the big sleazy fetichini and a very special guest. Brad Furencia, he's not on this season, but he's got a lot of shit to talk. Should have been on this season. Should have been on every season. I wish I was.

I wish I was. Yeah, we need some triceps like that on the veteran's side, if you know what I'm saying. Listen, you weren't. Thank you. I'm trying to go to work. You weren't on this season, but you were able to get a ring. Can we get a grand congratulations? Round of applause. Thank you.

Beyonce in the building. Shout out. Yes. What's up, mate? She's a beautiful woman, and I will say this. Confirmed, she is. This woman works out harder than I do. And I've never had a better workout partner in my life.

Well, there's a rumor that there might be a couple's challenge soon. So, Megan, prepare. We ready? She's ready. She doesn't have to get ready if she stays ready. He stays ready. You're the one that coined that term, right? I believe so.

That's yours. I believe so. So what do you think about this season so far? Do you like it? I do. I do. I really do like the concept. I think there's some fresh competition that really does kind of put some fire under the vet's asses to show up and be ready to compete.

I will say this. I've never thought that I can miss Johnny bananas this much, you know, like since he left. For real. Yeah, like honestly, he'll enjoy. like you've been around for like lots of years too so it almost feels a little weird saying that um i've never played real close with him in this game but when he left i mean i remember watching the next few episodes and i just wished he was still in the house because he just kind of adds an element that um i think that a lot of the new players haven't really developed or maybe just aren't about

and either way he's a showman a true showman yeah true show and there is a when he i mean you know what it's like when he left vendettas it was like the house feels like it lost not just one person it lost a lot of people that might speak to his multiple personalities but you're right like a 10 bag you're like we felt the same way on traders when he's gone day one it's like okay we're kind of a little bit robbed um you know sometimes you make new way but you're right i mean it's shout out to johnny if you haven't got your tickets to austin go get your tickets to that he'll be there i have a theory about traders i think because johnny is so inappropriate and so of the TV moment, I think

the producers of Traders told Dan Geasling, like, get rid of this kid because he's going to make a joke out of everything. He got there. He's not serious enough for Traders. Like, Traders are supposed to be this, like, serious, like, murder, heavy, like, very heavy thing. And Johnny has just a way of turning, like, the most serious situations into, like, a joke.

And I think they're like, yeah, this guy's got to go. Get him out of here. He'll just spiral a banana right across the shot. Yeah. Because be honest. Be honest. If you're in a situation, in any situation, Who are you going to get rid of first? CT or Johnny? You've got to go against one or the two in an elimination round,

so you want to keep the one that you're probably going to want to go against. It's probably going to be, you're probably going to get rid of CT first. He's got to be the biggest target, in my opinion. What season CT? That's true. But a game like traders where it's coming with bars today. But a game like traders where it's not so much physical and it's more intellectual, I'm getting rid of CT first.

Maybe we know them better, so that was why it was so crazy. but, like, that's my theory. I literally just came up with it because I'm like, Johnny does, like, make a joke out of everything. Like every, even in the final on 40, like, he was a guy's a whale and his ass is up in the air. Like, like, like, Traders people were like, yeah, we can't have like, we can't have, we can't have full moons. Well, in Traders, he was kind of galv. I mean, right away, that guitar's out.

So I think Keesling was scared of the guitar. But, yeah, let's get into this season. I mean, first of all, like, thank you for, you know, okay. I mean, obviously you love the franchises while you're watching it. And I'm sure you're might be preparing for a future. You never know who you might be playing with or against. But we come back from this Theo, Adrienne, Jakin, and Ease Elimination. Who has been the most impactful new threat so far?

And then the most, you know, kind of impactful vet also. But start with the new threats. Man, I mean, so here's the thing. And I have very little to go off of because we're seeing the edit. We're seeing the actual television portion of it. I think it was a real spectacle to see. the way Gabe towed Johnny with that whole elimination they had. I mean, it was...

Gabe is a mountain of a man. Dude, I mean, he looks like he puts it in four-wheel drive. 280 on a light. He's 280. Six, really? I'm six-three. He's like six-five, six-four. I haven't been 280 since 14, so.

Like, 280, dude. The guy is an absolute unit. Dude, so I saw him on his instant. Instagram post maybe three days ago doing all this CrossFit shit and at one point I thought it was 205

he corrected me and said it was 185 I thought he had the 35s and plates on each side he was jumping into the air like eight to 10 inches off of the ground with the bar on his shoulders and what I thought was 205 he said was 185 doesn't matter

what in the hell what are your knees thinking you know what I'm thinking I'm looking at that like how are you doing that And like, well, in 10 years, because remember, he's 20, what, five or six? So in 10 years, this knees will be saying, hey, that was a stupid workout because I just do stupid shit like that all the time. You jump in the air with a bar on your shoulders like that. I did, not 185, but I would jump in the air of the bar on my shoulders.

But what I'm saying is, yeah, they're young. Dude, that's what's crazy is how, how, like, we're not staying the same age. You know what I'm saying? Like, the new threats keep getting younger. You don't say. But we're not staying the same age. Arrow 1 gets depleted immediately. We see guys like Derek Kaczynski and CT kind of struggle on this type of season.

You're definitely not staying the same age. Even though you look five years younger since the last time we've seen you, buddy. You cleaned it out. You looked in. You look. Lost about five inches on the beard. Well, yeah. And you know what?

Zach gave me the best advice. He goes, don't ever cut that. And then I shaved it because I was curious. And, man, it was like, even the stage to get to here was just like, I mean, I still think about shaving it sometimes. It's like we're just not in it for the while. First of all, impressive what you've done in so little time. Second of all, trust me, take it from the hair. I get the crisis.

I did it myself. I regret it. It's good. It looks good. Fuck you. Yeah, dude. The midlife crisis is real. I love you so much.

When I just had two kids and once a week, I'm doing this. Dude, the crisis is real. I don't want to go through the awkward stage anymore. So I just, it sucks. It sucks. It sucks. It sucks. It's the buzz cut for life now.

Yeah, I'm going back. But anyways, look, I mean, full as hell. Look at that beard. It was like Santa Claus. He shaved it and just probably came right back out. Oh, my God. So Gabe, Gabe made an impact for sure. What about what vet are you like, oh, they still got it?

Like, who are you impressed with on the vet side? Currently based off of Instagram or just this season? Yeah, whatever you've seen, Instagram, what you're watching the season. Here's what I'm going to say. Here's what I'm going to say. I was just almost borderline devastated when I saw CT. who you said was your rival struggle I wish

I wish but I saw him struggling and thought what the hell has happened to era one in that moment you know because he's a huge part of it and at this point Johnny's gone already and

to see him fighting so hard to come back for that prime CT spot and you know he can get it I mean you know he's on his way right now oh you know and you if you've played with him you know him you already know what's coming you might see better than prime c t i think what we're seeing is ct realized like back in the day you remember ct would come in and we're all be like what the fuck it's like why's like why is he coming in like this and then in three weeks you're like oh shit yes i think

he can't do that anymore and that's what he learned this season so i think he's like oh ct's finally like i'm gonna put him some off season training and i think anyone who's if he's on 42 which it seems like he's a lock because he's posting about it. I'm just going to warn you now. 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.