February 17, 2026 • 26 mins
Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang are in Italy and are attending events! Are they Ice Dancing Super fans now? Matt even enjoyed watching the athletes warming up for their events. Bowen talks about the vibes he's feeling from the Olympians and the human stories we're seeing come from competition. Being there has really put a focus on the pressure on these athletes while they're expected to compete. What was it like for Matt to attend his first hockey game? Find out by listening to the latest edition of the Two Guys, Five Rings podcast!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Ring Ring.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
We're back with a new episode and in the country
that we were born in or not me though you,
I mean not.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
You though me anyway and in a way well no,
actually no, please don't sensralize the American experience. It hasn't
it been centralized enough? Aren't we over it? Well we
might beat you, I'm gonna say, And this is not
editorializing too much. I think this is just a stavement
(00:40):
of fact. America is having a rough go out an
Olympic Wei. I would say not to say.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
That there haven't been high high, high highs, but the
lows have been a little low.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
The lows have been tough. We're so happy for all
of our legends and curling, our legends in women's hockey,
our legends in speed skating. We'll get to all of
those in a later episode, probably going after this. Yes,
this is just you know, but we just had to
put that out there, and we're gonna get things back
on track. This episode. We're just going to talk about
our lovely experience. Yea, being lucky enough to attend the game.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
You'll come along with us and find out what it
was like in this in the zone.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
What I was saying when.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
I flopped earlier at the top of the episode was
Bowen Yang was not born in America. He was born
outside of the country. I was born here. I can't
do anything about all this. I'm just American and I
gotta deal with that.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
You are as American as my hot talks.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
I would, I would if I had to guess. And
isn't that kind of like, oh I couldn't do better?
I was gonna say a baseball back, yes, yes, oh,
I'm so sorry when we were a bugger.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Let's just let's just level set, just to rebalance the scales,
really solid. Let's name at least three solid American exports.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Okay, baseball, you know what, Mariah Carey.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Mariah Carey, baseball, baseball, Mariah Carey and rock and roll.
We can't see it. Yeah, sure, there you got. I'm
good with I'm good with that. You can have a
great to music things, though, Okay, okay, it should be
(02:36):
a food thing.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
We can we can say hot dog is a burger
American barb Is that your jurisdiction? It's German guys, right.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Hamburger, Hamburger. I'm gonna say, even though it's a sugary
drink and it's not healthy for a high frucus porns
era Coca Cola. Sure, yeah, we do, we do.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
I actually I have a ton of Coke zero in
my fridge and I'm not absolutely gonna rip into it
today because we have so much to discuss. I'm just
gonna go ahead and say it because I've not been
able to stop talking about it since we experienced it.
Bowen Yang and I are now ice dancing super fans.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Ice dance super fans. Can I can? I offer dropping
the ing and let's just say we love ice dance.
We love ice dance.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Okay, is it wrong to say we are ice dancing
super fans because I guess that I guess that would
sort of syntactically mean not.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
I think I think in the sort of if you
want to like embed it properly, and I'm so sorry
to be like this, please, I guess if you want
to embed it properly, it's like, oh, we love ice
dance in figure skating. Yeah, like ice dances within figure skating,
in the big tent of figure skating.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
I love to watch ice dance, not ice dance sing.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Or you can say we're huge ice dance fans.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Well we are, we are armed, and we saw greatness.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
We did see greatness. We truly saw greatness. I loved
everyone up on that podium. Have you gotten a chance
to watch Glitter and Gold yet?
Speaker 2 (04:19):
No, not just yet, but it is the top of
my list because they really kind of like, I know
that we're going to talk about how this all shook
out on Thursday, but so miss Chalk and mister Bates.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Really, here's here's what I.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Will say, and I think you'll agree with me here.
By far, you knew the gold medal was coming from
either Miss Chalk and Baits, miss Chalk and Baits, which
is what I'm gonna call the both of them, miss
correctively miss Chalk and Baits, or the French couple. The
French pair who, it can't be stated enough, did their
(04:57):
first dance that we saw to Madonna as Vogue, and
that did feel very special, especially because it wasn't a
Ricky Martin medley, which ninety eight percent of the other
ice dance couples were doing. So they stuck out in
that regard. But there's a lot to be sad about.
Like you know, they're very controversial, they different, there's a
(05:19):
lot going on there. I can't say that Bon Yang
and I are like super well versed in the ins
and outs of what exactly who said what to whom.
Oh no, this is going to be intergalactic, like we
don't know the details. But they're controversial. I don't know
much about it.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
There's they're ice dance, There's there's s right, there's stuff,
there's stuff. There's there's dark sa stuff in the mix,
like not.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
With any not with either of them, but like related
to people that they used to be margu with.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Of course, and there's there's a lot of narrative. It's
it's a very like this. I feel very privileged that
we got to witness them do their thing and we
did not watch the metal and then the I think
the night that we left was when all of this
shook out in terms of the metal distribution in the
(06:16):
podium and this controversy with the French judge. It's always
the French judge, isn't it when we get to that
on Thursday, But it's.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Really wild that it is the French judge again. But
then of course, like they are a French pair And
now I'm reading more about that and I heard that
it was like, oh, there was like a marked difference
in how the French judge scored Madison and Evan and
the pair representing her country. And it's like, I can
just say with my own eyes it was not at
(06:46):
least what we saw. They were clearly the top two
with Paul and Piper like right up there. But I
don't know how you could score them very differently. They
were both just spectacular.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Everyone was spectacular in terms of the expertise that we
were next to while we were watching them say it.
These were people who are very familiar with the sport.
We will not name names. Some of them may have
been guests of this podcast. We were sitting with the authority.
We were sitting with the authority, and they did this
(07:24):
is multiple people who turned to us before the scores
went out for Gillome and Lawns who said, that's mid
to high eighties. We were shocked when it was in
the nineties. Yeah, I was a.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Ninety and that was that was really And here's the thing.
I'm watching as like as a lay person as you know, oh,
of course, simply a spectator. And I after they finished
their their skate to Vogue, I was like, oh wow,
what I just saw was one of the most physically
impressive things I've ever seen. And I felt the same
(07:57):
way about Madison and Evan. And my favorite part of
the whole thing is watching the what would you call it?
Like that when when all six or five or sex
of the competitors in that round come out and they're
all doing their like little practice skate, yes, the warm
up yeah huh, the drama of the warm up and
the practice skate, them all just like whipping around each
(08:18):
other and like doing their thing, and like it's just
so it's such drama and performance and they're so galvanized,
and it really is the arena in that moment. And
I was worried the whole time that there was gonna
be collisions, and we did see a few near misses.
I'm like, that must happen all the.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Time, and confirmed that it does happen all the time,
especially with all that tension in the air. Oh, yes,
that you could cut with a skate. You could cut
it with a skate. Now did you end up watching Madison,
(09:10):
Miss Chok and Bates to do their mattagor routine? I did?
I mean it felt winning to me. I mean to
be honest with you. It just it's I.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Think we should look into the French judge.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
I don't. I think we should look into the French
judge as well.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Are they pursuing this?
Speaker 1 (09:31):
ISU has come out and said that they stand by
the scoring, which I, yeah, I guess what I meant
to see.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
You hate that, But because it doesn't seem right. But
does does that mean it's over or can they continue
to pursue or is it kind of just like if
I SU comes out and says that it's.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Over, I think it's over where where it's clearly we're
certainly not the expert. This is the beautiful thing. I mean,
we've gone to the Olympics and we still know just
as little as we did before. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
And also they are Olympic gold medalists, which we also saw.
So we were there for the team figure skating the
whole the competition and the medaling, and so we got
to be there when they all earned their gold medals.
That was Ilia mallin In, that was Amber Glenn, that
was Alasa Lou everybody and Madison and Evan were involved
(10:21):
in that.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
So these are all Olympic gold medalists.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Which should be said Obviously there's you know, varying disappointments
in the individual situations, but they are Olympic gold medalists
and that was a great moment, like being there for
an Olympic gold medal ceremony to go to US. That
was incredible and there was so much camaraderie between the countries.
It was very positive at least while we were very positive.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Absolutely, Barbara has raised her hands.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
Yes, Barb, Hi, guys, I just wanted to let you
know that US Figure Skating has put out a statement
today that they have said that you know, they may
continue to pursue judging reforms going forward, but that's their
focus is on the feature.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Okay, so it's over. Great, So it's over. Thank you, Barb.
I just finished watching this week's episode of Traders. Really
rough week for figure skating overall, both people past and present.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Our representative pairs are not doing well in at least
in terms of winning competitions. And I just gotta pause
things and say right here, I'm now only rooting for
Tera and Johnny on the Traders. Yes, there's a reason
to watch at this juncture.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
At this juncture, and they are the reason to watch.
I have been newly galvanized to love figure skating because
of Madison and Evan and Ilia and Amber and Alyssa
and Ellen everybody on Team USA. I was incredibly inspired
watching ten USI and season four of The Traders.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
US so much going on. It was also wild to
like when you look at the the winning US team
figure skating group.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
They are such like a wildly alt group. Like Alyssa's
got her how would you even said? Lady Gaga Judas hair.
It's Judas music video hair, Lady Gaga, the streaks, and
she she does a new sort of chunk of bleach
every few years.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
I think, yeah, I mean just and then Amber obviously
outspoken queer eyegon like you can. And what I love
about Amber and what I recognize in Amber is you
can tell her emotions are right on her skin, like
you can tell that girl is bursting, and it's hard
(12:52):
to focus in when you're someone who's just bursting at
all times and being like you know, and the fire
always feels like it's on hot. But I'm excited to
see her do her individual thing because I just I
would love for this to feel like there was a
release at some point where Americans could have like that
(13:12):
like individual gold medal moment, because we haven't even spoken
about right away, right as the game started, Lindsay Vaughn
crashing like that. I don't know, I don't know if
people out there believe in vibes, but that started it.
That started it off in a really sort of sad,
(13:34):
negative place. And not to say because and there's a
lot of debate about like what she should have done.
No one can say but her. She felt like she
could compete. She's the Olympian here, you know.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
She did her practice runs, She did her practice runs
before her event. There was the video around going around
of her doing weightlifting with the tourney cl and every
yeah it's swinging the other way beforehand where everyone was like,
oh my god, like she's gonna do this, look at
her like she's she is weightlifting with the torney cl
(14:10):
like she is ready. And like, as with other storylines
of this Olympics, like I think the prevailing thing is
like nothing is inevitable and nothing is guaranteed in sports,
and so that could mean accidents, unfortunate things, things that
are out of control, things that are purely internal that
(14:32):
then manifest in external ways in terms of performance like
so much happens in the human condition that are that
that makes its way to like this is the beautiful
thing about sports. It's that it's like it's a human
convocation of action and activity, like this is like this
(14:54):
is where it all happens, and we're what bigger stage
than the Olympics. And then it kind of gets Norwegian
by athlete to like confess to like has a fair
like these things happened at the Olympics, because well, I
mean that's also complicated too. Yeah, they are human.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
I think we get conditioned by I don't know what
it is, whether it's Olympic marketing or just recent Olympic history,
to believe these people are super human. But actually we've
been incredibly we've been reminded, but we've also been incredibly
fortunate to see a lot of Olympic achievement against the odds,
(15:41):
and we've been told again and again and again that
the impossible is possible, which has been amazing. But then
I believe, you know, Simone Biles a couple of Olympics ago,
being like I can not mentally continue was sort of
the first time that people were like or at least
the first time in recent history that people were reminded
(16:04):
these are human beings. And it feels like we're being
reminded again and again and again this year that these
are human beings. And maybe that changes, like in a
collectivist way, the way that we go about this. But
these Olympians aren't working for America. They're competing on behalf
of their country, but they there is this mentality that
(16:27):
I think that happens where it's like people feel like
slighted when there aren't like superhuman Olympic achievements or when
someone reveals humanity. And I do think there needs to
be a reframing of the way that we talk about
victory and loss here because it's clearly coming out an
emotional and mental expense.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Yes, and I think we have to wait for like
the world to still catch up. I don't know, man,
there's so much like eye. So I certainly made it
way worse. So I left a comment on miss Chalk
and Bates's Instagram after they after they after they meddled
in silver, and I said the best in the world,
because to me, they are the best in the world absolutely.
(17:11):
I mean, there was no denying it. I probably had
some little French bag Getty and say, well, now clearly
they weren't because the French got the gold, and I just,
of course, I like brushed it off. But I'm like,
(17:33):
this is this is like you can't even like allow
someone else to like come in and just I mean,
I obviously understand what happened, Uh, but I'm like, I
don't think it should take away from the fact that
there are people out there who agree with me and
think that they are indeed the best in the world.
(17:54):
We have the French judge's name in front of us
on this doc. I let's not even say it. I'm
not even saying that desires.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
The French judge, because who knows, maybe the French judge.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
Really says something we didn't.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
I mean, I guess it's possible. I do think that
it has to be. It has to be social media,
because there must have been a way back in the
day for people to like, for example, like Tara Lipinski,
was what a teenager doing this twelve total? Yeah twelve.
First of all, that's crazy, so freakish. She had to
(18:31):
have been actively protected from like media. But then even
media at that time was probably more just like encouraging.
It wasn't like she was in the tabloids, like they're
trying to get her, Like it wasn't a sensationalist thing.
Whereas now, even if it's not that way in the media,
you go on to your social media, which is so fragmented,
so chaotic and so invasive, you don't really stand a
(18:54):
chance now. And it's hard when you know social media
has found out a way to become addictive algorithmically, and
so and someone who's clearly online like these girls, you
know what I mean, Like Amber Glenn and Alissa Loud.
Those girls are online, you know what I'm saying, Like
maybe Ilia is something different, but clearly he's got his
(19:15):
own demons.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Otherwise it wouldn't have gone that way. But Amber had
the sense to like log off when yeah, you're like, oh, like,
no one should should be subjected to this much less
like TEMSA. Well, the second she was asked the question,
it was a foregone conclusion. I mean, one of my
favorite things anyone's ever said on our podcast Lost Culture
(19:38):
is this Chapel Roone came on and she said, it's
not that you can't win, you won't win.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
So she could not have answered a question about representing
America as a queer person and win against social media
because there is no way to get across something that
works for everyone where everyone doesn't have a phone, you
know what I mean. It's like, by proxy of being
(20:07):
in that position, you are up for mutilation on social media,
which is hard for someone like her, I would imagine,
or anyone who's our age or younger to just give up.
There is like a mourning you have to do as
an online person. And you're an athlete who probably most
of the time is incredibly supported and incredibly cheered on.
(20:30):
And if there's someone that's hard on you, I would
imagine it's them. It's it's like themselves. No one is
harder on athletes than themselves. So for then the chorus
to come out because you said something that actually accurately
represented yourself and your feelings, it's not that you can't win,
you just won't win. So she had to get off,
and like I hope it helped. But even then, even
(20:53):
after you remove yourself from the situation, you still had
to remove yourself from the situation, and in that way,
the dam just kind of done.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
But then that's what and like you said, there should
be a reframing on victory versus quote unquote defeat. It's like,
it's not that she didn't win by having to get offline,
it's that, like the game is ragged and it's barely
a game. It's it's being inaccurately presented as a game.
It's not that you can and it's that you won't win.
(21:22):
It's because the game is like whatever I swear to
gob We're not stoned, everybody. We're literally just like having
deep thoughts about this aspect of the Olympics in the
year twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Which has changed it in irrevocable and really truly astounding ways.
I think the pressure has it's so crazy.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
More thoughts about the results. Our next episode. This was
supposed to be us talking about the rest of our trip.
It was lovely. We had delicious food. We did you
got to go see the preliminary round of women's hockey
between the US and Canada. I could not make it
because I was not feeling well that night.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
Yeah, bone was feeling sick, so I went to that
one solo. But incredibly violence or like you really don't
It's like you really don't understand what a body check
sounds like against the plastic around the ring until you
are there to experience it. And then there was I'll
share one thing. We're sitting in an area where it
(22:41):
was like we were on the side, and so behind
the net there's like obviously the plexiglass, and then there's
a net going from the top of the plexiglass to
the top of the stadium because obviously that's the.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Direction where they're trying to shoot a goal.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
So I'm sitting there with our manager Olivia, my agent
Pronav and I was like, oh, like, there's no net
over the top of where we are, like probably where
we'll be fine because no one's shooting a goal in
this direction, but I'm noticing it. Like in the middle
of the second period, I guess, the puck came flying
(23:22):
hard over.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
The side of the pucksyglass.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Heads, literally careening towards a baby that must have been
must have been like less than two years old. The
dad like slaps the puck out of the way it
lands in front of the baby. Everyone is screaming, and
then the baby picks up the puck and immediately put
it in his mouth and everyone cheered.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
Everyone was cheering.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
It was just like the the such a baby that
even in the face of death, he just looked at it,
picked it up.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
I said, I'm gonna eat this.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
I'm orally fixated down That is where I'm at.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
In my development.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
I almost died because this little black rock shot out
of nowhere almost killed me.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Let me eat that. It was swhere were the cameras,
they were there. I just it was.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
It didn't become like an Olympic moment, I guess, but
it was it should have.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
It was good. Immediately he gets the fuck.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
It was really good the dad.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
The dad is a hero, truly, no a heroic file.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Lots going on, and see there. It wasn't all bad
at the Olympics.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
I know, I know, it's just there. There's just just
just something we we gotta. We gotta get to Lunar
New Year now. We need to We need to year
like a puck towards a baby. We need to shed
the Year of the Snake immediately, must must re skin.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
And we are going to shed this episode right now
because we are going to prepare and look forward to
our next episode, which is going to talk more about
what really went down top top headlines, top highlights, a
lot more to discuss.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
So I guess the metals. Stay tuned for that. No
metals this week, this episode. I don't think we'll do
metals next episode either. I know that metals has been
given out. It's kind of like, well, we'll see, we'll see,
and it's just what are metals if no one's keeping
count you know what I mean? I think Barb might
be keeping down. Barber's concerned with other things. I don't think.
(25:43):
I don't think Barb cares to find out anyway, We'll
see you on We'll see you on our next episode.
I don't know when you lism of this.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
I almost said we'll see you on Thursday, because I
just think you guys are chomping up the bit with
every new.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
Two Guys five Rings.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
But in the meantime, watch and listen to every moment
of the wind your Olympics now through February twenty second,
which is coming up on NBC and Peacock and on
the iHeartRadio app. We end with the Olympic song Wow,
(26:21):
we both got our little downward rip.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
Yeah, different vowels see yah Thie
Ring Ring.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
We're back with a new episode and in the country
that we were born in or not me though you,
I mean not.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
You though me anyway and in a way well no,
actually no, please don't sensralize the American experience. It hasn't
it been centralized enough? Aren't we over it? Well we
might beat you, I'm gonna say, And this is not
editorializing too much. I think this is just a stavement
(00:40):
of fact. America is having a rough go out an
Olympic Wei. I would say not to say.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
That there haven't been high high, high highs, but the
lows have been a little low.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
The lows have been tough. We're so happy for all
of our legends and curling, our legends in women's hockey,
our legends in speed skating. We'll get to all of
those in a later episode, probably going after this. Yes,
this is just you know, but we just had to
put that out there, and we're gonna get things back
on track. This episode. We're just going to talk about
our lovely experience. Yea, being lucky enough to attend the game.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
You'll come along with us and find out what it
was like in this in the zone.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
What I was saying when.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
I flopped earlier at the top of the episode was
Bowen Yang was not born in America. He was born
outside of the country. I was born here. I can't
do anything about all this. I'm just American and I
gotta deal with that.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
You are as American as my hot talks.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
I would, I would if I had to guess. And
isn't that kind of like, oh I couldn't do better?
I was gonna say a baseball back, yes, yes, oh,
I'm so sorry when we were a bugger.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Let's just let's just level set, just to rebalance the scales,
really solid. Let's name at least three solid American exports.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Okay, baseball, you know what, Mariah Carey.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Mariah Carey, baseball, baseball, Mariah Carey and rock and roll.
We can't see it. Yeah, sure, there you got. I'm
good with I'm good with that. You can have a
great to music things, though, Okay, okay, it should be
(02:36):
a food thing.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
We can we can say hot dog is a burger
American barb Is that your jurisdiction? It's German guys, right.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Hamburger, Hamburger. I'm gonna say, even though it's a sugary
drink and it's not healthy for a high frucus porns
era Coca Cola. Sure, yeah, we do, we do.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
I actually I have a ton of Coke zero in
my fridge and I'm not absolutely gonna rip into it
today because we have so much to discuss. I'm just
gonna go ahead and say it because I've not been
able to stop talking about it since we experienced it.
Bowen Yang and I are now ice dancing super fans.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Ice dance super fans. Can I can? I offer dropping
the ing and let's just say we love ice dance.
We love ice dance.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Okay, is it wrong to say we are ice dancing
super fans because I guess that I guess that would
sort of syntactically mean not.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
I think I think in the sort of if you
want to like embed it properly, and I'm so sorry
to be like this, please, I guess if you want
to embed it properly, it's like, oh, we love ice
dance in figure skating. Yeah, like ice dances within figure skating,
in the big tent of figure skating.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
I love to watch ice dance, not ice dance sing.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Or you can say we're huge ice dance fans.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Well we are, we are armed, and we saw greatness.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
We did see greatness. We truly saw greatness. I loved
everyone up on that podium. Have you gotten a chance
to watch Glitter and Gold yet?
Speaker 2 (04:19):
No, not just yet, but it is the top of
my list because they really kind of like, I know
that we're going to talk about how this all shook
out on Thursday, but so miss Chalk and mister Bates.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Really, here's here's what I.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Will say, and I think you'll agree with me here.
By far, you knew the gold medal was coming from
either Miss Chalk and Baits, miss Chalk and Baits, which
is what I'm gonna call the both of them, miss
correctively miss Chalk and Baits, or the French couple. The
French pair who, it can't be stated enough, did their
(04:57):
first dance that we saw to Madonna as Vogue, and
that did feel very special, especially because it wasn't a
Ricky Martin medley, which ninety eight percent of the other
ice dance couples were doing. So they stuck out in
that regard. But there's a lot to be sad about.
Like you know, they're very controversial, they different, there's a
(05:19):
lot going on there. I can't say that Bon Yang
and I are like super well versed in the ins
and outs of what exactly who said what to whom.
Oh no, this is going to be intergalactic, like we
don't know the details. But they're controversial. I don't know
much about it.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
There's they're ice dance, There's there's s right, there's stuff,
there's stuff. There's there's dark sa stuff in the mix,
like not.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
With any not with either of them, but like related
to people that they used to be margu with.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Of course, and there's there's a lot of narrative. It's
it's a very like this. I feel very privileged that
we got to witness them do their thing and we
did not watch the metal and then the I think
the night that we left was when all of this
shook out in terms of the metal distribution in the
(06:16):
podium and this controversy with the French judge. It's always
the French judge, isn't it when we get to that
on Thursday, But it's.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Really wild that it is the French judge again. But
then of course, like they are a French pair And
now I'm reading more about that and I heard that
it was like, oh, there was like a marked difference
in how the French judge scored Madison and Evan and
the pair representing her country. And it's like, I can
just say with my own eyes it was not at
(06:46):
least what we saw. They were clearly the top two
with Paul and Piper like right up there. But I
don't know how you could score them very differently. They
were both just spectacular.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Everyone was spectacular in terms of the expertise that we
were next to while we were watching them say it.
These were people who are very familiar with the sport.
We will not name names. Some of them may have
been guests of this podcast. We were sitting with the authority.
We were sitting with the authority, and they did this
(07:24):
is multiple people who turned to us before the scores
went out for Gillome and Lawns who said, that's mid
to high eighties. We were shocked when it was in
the nineties. Yeah, I was a.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Ninety and that was that was really And here's the thing.
I'm watching as like as a lay person as you know, oh,
of course, simply a spectator. And I after they finished
their their skate to Vogue, I was like, oh wow,
what I just saw was one of the most physically
impressive things I've ever seen. And I felt the same
(07:57):
way about Madison and Evan. And my favorite part of
the whole thing is watching the what would you call it?
Like that when when all six or five or sex
of the competitors in that round come out and they're
all doing their like little practice skate, yes, the warm
up yeah huh, the drama of the warm up and
the practice skate, them all just like whipping around each
(08:18):
other and like doing their thing, and like it's just
so it's such drama and performance and they're so galvanized,
and it really is the arena in that moment. And
I was worried the whole time that there was gonna
be collisions, and we did see a few near misses.
I'm like, that must happen all the.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Time, and confirmed that it does happen all the time,
especially with all that tension in the air. Oh, yes,
that you could cut with a skate. You could cut
it with a skate. Now did you end up watching Madison,
(09:10):
Miss Chok and Bates to do their mattagor routine? I did?
I mean it felt winning to me. I mean to
be honest with you. It just it's I.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Think we should look into the French judge.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
I don't. I think we should look into the French
judge as well.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Are they pursuing this?
Speaker 1 (09:31):
ISU has come out and said that they stand by
the scoring, which I, yeah, I guess what I meant
to see.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
You hate that, But because it doesn't seem right. But
does does that mean it's over or can they continue
to pursue or is it kind of just like if
I SU comes out and says that it's.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Over, I think it's over where where it's clearly we're
certainly not the expert. This is the beautiful thing. I mean,
we've gone to the Olympics and we still know just
as little as we did before. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
And also they are Olympic gold medalists, which we also saw.
So we were there for the team figure skating the
whole the competition and the medaling, and so we got
to be there when they all earned their gold medals.
That was Ilia mallin In, that was Amber Glenn, that
was Alasa Lou everybody and Madison and Evan were involved
(10:21):
in that.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
So these are all Olympic gold medalists.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Which should be said Obviously there's you know, varying disappointments
in the individual situations, but they are Olympic gold medalists
and that was a great moment, like being there for
an Olympic gold medal ceremony to go to US. That
was incredible and there was so much camaraderie between the countries.
It was very positive at least while we were very positive.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Absolutely, Barbara has raised her hands.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
Yes, Barb, Hi, guys, I just wanted to let you
know that US Figure Skating has put out a statement
today that they have said that you know, they may
continue to pursue judging reforms going forward, but that's their
focus is on the feature.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Okay, so it's over. Great, So it's over. Thank you, Barb.
I just finished watching this week's episode of Traders. Really
rough week for figure skating overall, both people past and present.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Our representative pairs are not doing well in at least
in terms of winning competitions. And I just gotta pause
things and say right here, I'm now only rooting for
Tera and Johnny on the Traders. Yes, there's a reason
to watch at this juncture.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
At this juncture, and they are the reason to watch.
I have been newly galvanized to love figure skating because
of Madison and Evan and Ilia and Amber and Alyssa
and Ellen everybody on Team USA. I was incredibly inspired
watching ten USI and season four of The Traders.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
US so much going on. It was also wild to
like when you look at the the winning US team
figure skating group.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
They are such like a wildly alt group. Like Alyssa's
got her how would you even said? Lady Gaga Judas hair.
It's Judas music video hair, Lady Gaga, the streaks, and
she she does a new sort of chunk of bleach
every few years.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
I think, yeah, I mean just and then Amber obviously
outspoken queer eyegon like you can. And what I love
about Amber and what I recognize in Amber is you
can tell her emotions are right on her skin, like
you can tell that girl is bursting, and it's hard
(12:52):
to focus in when you're someone who's just bursting at
all times and being like you know, and the fire
always feels like it's on hot. But I'm excited to
see her do her individual thing because I just I
would love for this to feel like there was a
release at some point where Americans could have like that
(13:12):
like individual gold medal moment, because we haven't even spoken
about right away, right as the game started, Lindsay Vaughn
crashing like that. I don't know, I don't know if
people out there believe in vibes, but that started it.
That started it off in a really sort of sad,
(13:34):
negative place. And not to say because and there's a
lot of debate about like what she should have done.
No one can say but her. She felt like she
could compete. She's the Olympian here, you know.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
She did her practice runs, She did her practice runs
before her event. There was the video around going around
of her doing weightlifting with the tourney cl and every
yeah it's swinging the other way beforehand where everyone was like,
oh my god, like she's gonna do this, look at
her like she's she is weightlifting with the torney cl
(14:10):
like she is ready. And like, as with other storylines
of this Olympics, like I think the prevailing thing is
like nothing is inevitable and nothing is guaranteed in sports,
and so that could mean accidents, unfortunate things, things that
are out of control, things that are purely internal that
(14:32):
then manifest in external ways in terms of performance like
so much happens in the human condition that are that
that makes its way to like this is the beautiful
thing about sports. It's that it's like it's a human
convocation of action and activity, like this is like this
(14:54):
is where it all happens, and we're what bigger stage
than the Olympics. And then it kind of gets Norwegian
by athlete to like confess to like has a fair
like these things happened at the Olympics, because well, I
mean that's also complicated too. Yeah, they are human.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
I think we get conditioned by I don't know what
it is, whether it's Olympic marketing or just recent Olympic history,
to believe these people are super human. But actually we've
been incredibly we've been reminded, but we've also been incredibly
fortunate to see a lot of Olympic achievement against the odds,
(15:41):
and we've been told again and again and again that
the impossible is possible, which has been amazing. But then
I believe, you know, Simone Biles a couple of Olympics ago,
being like I can not mentally continue was sort of
the first time that people were like or at least
the first time in recent history that people were reminded
(16:04):
these are human beings. And it feels like we're being
reminded again and again and again this year that these
are human beings. And maybe that changes, like in a
collectivist way, the way that we go about this. But
these Olympians aren't working for America. They're competing on behalf
of their country, but they there is this mentality that
(16:27):
I think that happens where it's like people feel like
slighted when there aren't like superhuman Olympic achievements or when
someone reveals humanity. And I do think there needs to
be a reframing of the way that we talk about
victory and loss here because it's clearly coming out an
emotional and mental expense.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Yes, and I think we have to wait for like
the world to still catch up. I don't know, man,
there's so much like eye. So I certainly made it
way worse. So I left a comment on miss Chalk
and Bates's Instagram after they after they after they meddled
in silver, and I said the best in the world,
because to me, they are the best in the world absolutely.
(17:11):
I mean, there was no denying it. I probably had
some little French bag Getty and say, well, now clearly
they weren't because the French got the gold, and I just,
of course, I like brushed it off. But I'm like,
(17:33):
this is this is like you can't even like allow
someone else to like come in and just I mean,
I obviously understand what happened, Uh, but I'm like, I
don't think it should take away from the fact that
there are people out there who agree with me and
think that they are indeed the best in the world.
(17:54):
We have the French judge's name in front of us
on this doc. I let's not even say it. I'm
not even saying that desires.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
The French judge, because who knows, maybe the French judge.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
Really says something we didn't.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
I mean, I guess it's possible. I do think that
it has to be. It has to be social media,
because there must have been a way back in the
day for people to like, for example, like Tara Lipinski,
was what a teenager doing this twelve total? Yeah twelve.
First of all, that's crazy, so freakish. She had to
(18:31):
have been actively protected from like media. But then even
media at that time was probably more just like encouraging.
It wasn't like she was in the tabloids, like they're
trying to get her, Like it wasn't a sensationalist thing.
Whereas now, even if it's not that way in the media,
you go on to your social media, which is so fragmented,
so chaotic and so invasive, you don't really stand a
(18:54):
chance now. And it's hard when you know social media
has found out a way to become addictive algorithmically, and
so and someone who's clearly online like these girls, you
know what I mean, Like Amber Glenn and Alissa Loud.
Those girls are online, you know what I'm saying, Like
maybe Ilia is something different, but clearly he's got his
(19:15):
own demons.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Otherwise it wouldn't have gone that way. But Amber had
the sense to like log off when yeah, you're like, oh, like,
no one should should be subjected to this much less
like TEMSA. Well, the second she was asked the question,
it was a foregone conclusion. I mean, one of my
favorite things anyone's ever said on our podcast Lost Culture
(19:38):
is this Chapel Roone came on and she said, it's
not that you can't win, you won't win.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
So she could not have answered a question about representing
America as a queer person and win against social media
because there is no way to get across something that
works for everyone where everyone doesn't have a phone, you
know what I mean. It's like, by proxy of being
(20:07):
in that position, you are up for mutilation on social media,
which is hard for someone like her, I would imagine,
or anyone who's our age or younger to just give up.
There is like a mourning you have to do as
an online person. And you're an athlete who probably most
of the time is incredibly supported and incredibly cheered on.
(20:30):
And if there's someone that's hard on you, I would
imagine it's them. It's it's like themselves. No one is
harder on athletes than themselves. So for then the chorus
to come out because you said something that actually accurately
represented yourself and your feelings, it's not that you can't win,
you just won't win. So she had to get off,
and like I hope it helped. But even then, even
(20:53):
after you remove yourself from the situation, you still had
to remove yourself from the situation, and in that way,
the dam just kind of done.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
But then that's what and like you said, there should
be a reframing on victory versus quote unquote defeat. It's like,
it's not that she didn't win by having to get offline,
it's that, like the game is ragged and it's barely
a game. It's it's being inaccurately presented as a game.
It's not that you can and it's that you won't win.
(21:22):
It's because the game is like whatever I swear to
gob We're not stoned, everybody. We're literally just like having
deep thoughts about this aspect of the Olympics in the
year twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Which has changed it in irrevocable and really truly astounding ways.
I think the pressure has it's so crazy.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
More thoughts about the results. Our next episode. This was
supposed to be us talking about the rest of our trip.
It was lovely. We had delicious food. We did you
got to go see the preliminary round of women's hockey
between the US and Canada. I could not make it
because I was not feeling well that night.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
Yeah, bone was feeling sick, so I went to that
one solo. But incredibly violence or like you really don't
It's like you really don't understand what a body check
sounds like against the plastic around the ring until you
are there to experience it. And then there was I'll
share one thing. We're sitting in an area where it
(22:41):
was like we were on the side, and so behind
the net there's like obviously the plexiglass, and then there's
a net going from the top of the plexiglass to
the top of the stadium because obviously that's the.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Direction where they're trying to shoot a goal.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
So I'm sitting there with our manager Olivia, my agent
Pronav and I was like, oh, like, there's no net
over the top of where we are, like probably where
we'll be fine because no one's shooting a goal in
this direction, but I'm noticing it. Like in the middle
of the second period, I guess, the puck came flying
(23:22):
hard over.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
The side of the pucksyglass.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Heads, literally careening towards a baby that must have been
must have been like less than two years old. The
dad like slaps the puck out of the way it
lands in front of the baby. Everyone is screaming, and
then the baby picks up the puck and immediately put
it in his mouth and everyone cheered.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
Everyone was cheering.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
It was just like the the such a baby that
even in the face of death, he just looked at it,
picked it up.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
I said, I'm gonna eat this.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
I'm orally fixated down That is where I'm at.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
In my development.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
I almost died because this little black rock shot out
of nowhere almost killed me.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Let me eat that. It was swhere were the cameras,
they were there. I just it was.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
It didn't become like an Olympic moment, I guess, but
it was it should have.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
It was good. Immediately he gets the fuck.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
It was really good the dad.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
The dad is a hero, truly, no a heroic file.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Lots going on, and see there. It wasn't all bad
at the Olympics.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
I know, I know, it's just there. There's just just
just something we we gotta. We gotta get to Lunar
New Year now. We need to We need to year
like a puck towards a baby. We need to shed
the Year of the Snake immediately, must must re skin.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
And we are going to shed this episode right now
because we are going to prepare and look forward to
our next episode, which is going to talk more about
what really went down top top headlines, top highlights, a
lot more to discuss.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
So I guess the metals. Stay tuned for that. No
metals this week, this episode. I don't think we'll do
metals next episode either. I know that metals has been
given out. It's kind of like, well, we'll see, we'll see,
and it's just what are metals if no one's keeping
count you know what I mean? I think Barb might
be keeping down. Barber's concerned with other things. I don't think.
(25:43):
I don't think Barb cares to find out anyway, We'll
see you on We'll see you on our next episode.
I don't know when you lism of this.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
I almost said we'll see you on Thursday, because I
just think you guys are chomping up the bit with
every new.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
Two Guys five Rings.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
But in the meantime, watch and listen to every moment
of the wind your Olympics now through February twenty second,
which is coming up on NBC and Peacock and on
the iHeartRadio app. We end with the Olympic song Wow,
(26:21):
we both got our little downward rip.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
Yeah, different vowels see yah Thie
Hosts And Creators
Matt Rogers
Bowen Yang
Popular Podcasts
Hey Jonas!
Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com