May 28, 2025 • 7 mins
What happens when a comedian tries to fix aviation safety by staging a fake congressional hearing—with actors who don’t know how to laugh?In this mind-bending and laugh-out-loud episode of The Ben and Skin Show, Jeff “Skin” Wade, Kevin “KT” Turner, and Krystina Ray (with Ben Rogers out) dive deep into the surreal brilliance of HBO’s The Rehearsal, starring the ever-deadpan Nathan Fielder. What starts as a casual mention of a documentary turns into a full-blown breakdown of one of the most bizarre and jaw-dropping episodes of television you’ll ever hear about.🎭 Key Highlights:
This episode is a rollercoaster of absurdity, media commentary, and genuine curiosity about how far someone will go to simulate reality. Whether you’re a fan of Nathan Fielder or just love hearing the crew try to make sense of the senseless, this one’s a must-listen.
- KT’s passionate recap of The Rehearsal’s simulated congressional hearing—complete with actors who don’t know when to laugh.
- The hilariously awkward moment when Nathan Fielder has to remind his fake Congress: “You’re just supposed to act like a human.”
- A joke so dry it evaporates the room: “The last time I had to answer to a transportation authority was when I got caught m@sturbating on a bus.”
- A twist so wild, KT compares it to the Red Wedding from Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad’s most shocking moments.
This episode is a rollercoaster of absurdity, media commentary, and genuine curiosity about how far someone will go to simulate reality. Whether you’re a fan of Nathan Fielder or just love hearing the crew try to make sense of the senseless, this one’s a must-listen.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Juicing news, Hot Gods, every come, stay on the top in.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
The woods shovel.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
I'm only doing this because I don't think you guys
are gonna get to it the same way I'm probably
not gonna get to the Pee Wee Herman documentary that.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
We discussed yesterday. It's what it is. It's what it is.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
I had some listeners reach out and say they cried,
and the pee we do say, I'm not trying to cry,
saying I'm gonna tell you a little bit about the
show that ended on Sunday night.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
On HBO called The Rehearsal, Season two of it.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
I've watched about thirty minutes of it. Stars Nathan Fielder,
the comedian. Here's the story. You don't even have to
watch season one of the rehearsal to.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Know what's going on here.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Okay, The premise of the show completely is he wants
to simulate these live situations so he can get the
live situation right. So all season long he's dedicated himself
to the subject of airline safety, and he's reasoning that
more plane crashes could have been avoided if pilots and
co pilots had healthier interpersonal interversal relationships. If in the
(01:01):
cockpit we can have an actual discussion. How you doing, man,
You're good, then maybe we wouldn't be having so many
tragic accidents.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
So he is going to take his idea all the
way up to Washington.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Now, wait, hold on, I think you need to set
the parameters of how this show is presented because it's
hyper real, and that's one of the things that makes
it interesting. It's absolutely really happening. With an HBO budget,
he creates simulations of life events, he hires actors. So
he's going to take this idea to Washington, right, He's
going to have a simulated congressional hearing before actually trying
(01:39):
to have a hearing at Congress. So because he's having
trouble getting people to go with him on this theory too,
or this idea. All right, So this is episode five
of a six episode season, so it's the episode before
the finale.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
And what he's going to do.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
He's going to hire a bunch of actors who are
going to play the actual members of Congress. Hire a
bunch of actors and put them in the audience of
the actual hearing. Okay, and they don't know what's going
on and we're going to try to simulate this as
if it would happen. So are these people improvisational actors
that he's surrounding himself with. They're coming in and it
(02:16):
shows him going through the auditions as well. For instance,
there's one where they're getting on a plane and his
line is, I would like to diet PEPSI please, Like
he's that's these people do. These are not real actors, okay, okay.
And one thing that he did is he did research
on comedians who have gone to Congress before for stuff
(02:36):
they cared about seth rogen for Alzheimer's research, John Stewart
and Stephen Colbert for nine to eleven Firefighters, right, And
He's like, one thing he had noticed is that they
issue a joke before Congress and then once they get
that out of the way, everyone will pay attention to
the actual cause because they're expecting me, as a comedian
(02:57):
to do this. Now, Nathan Fielder started on Nathan for
you if you don't know him, he's very dry, He's
I would be I would be surprised if more than
five people listening know who this guy is. The writings
are not good for the show, Like when you said
Nathan for you. I don't think there's a single person
listening right now. There's people who watched it on Comedy
(03:17):
Central ten years ago, they know, okay, but not many.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
All right, you're right, you're right.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
So but he is a comedian, all right, so he's
what does his research. So he's like, okay, so in
this simulation with these actors around, I'm going to issue
a joke and then we're going to get to the
serious nature of what I'm trying to get across here. Okay,
I'm gonna play you clip one of him sitting down
(03:45):
doing the joke again, Actors in Congress, actors.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Behind him in the audience of the courtroom.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
It's an honor to be here in front of the
Aviation Subcommittee. The last time I had to answer to
a transportation authority was when I got caught mastering on
that bus. But in my defense, the driver did keep
telling me to get off, so all right, Well that
(04:13):
was just a little joke. So you know, that's a
light in the mood there, And now we're gonna in
a seriousness. I do want to speak about an issue
that's become deeply important to me, which is aviation safety.
But I instantly realized something was wrong with this rehearsal
when no one in the room laughed. I was just wondering,
(04:35):
did you did you find that joke funny? The bus
joke that oh yeah, oh yeah cool? Because I noticed
you didn't laugh.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
I I didn't know what.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
I didn't know. I didn't know what if I was
supposed to laugh? Oh, I mean you're you're not supposed
to laugh. I mean you're not supposed to do anything.
You're just supposed to act like a human. You know,
you find something funny, then go for then laugh. Yeah,
if you've I did funny, yeah, absolutely, yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
All right, So then he tells him like, hey, you
guys can laugh. All right, I act like a human.
So we're gonna try it again. We've gotta try the
simulation again. Okay, get it right, Okay.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
Hey everyone, just a little reminder in cases any confusion,
we're all playing like human beings, right, So if you,
as a human, find something funny.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
It's okay to laugh. Just yeah, got it? Okay? Good.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
The last time I had to answer to a transportation
authority is when I got caught mastered on that bus.
But in my defense, the driver did keep telling me
to get off.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
Okay, good good.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
I just don't want anyone to force a So I'm.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Telling you though, that's the thing about this show is
I can't tell it's this is This is where it's crazy.
If you can't tell what people knowing what they don't.
They don't. I'm telling you they don't because here's what happens.
After the fifth episode, the sixth episode, the finale opens
and it goes two years back.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Two years ago, he got his pilot's license.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
He took a crew of people up on a Boeing
jet in a flight, and he has another a pilot
with him, and it's real. There's also a whole like
singing competition that they did in the Houston Airport too.
This lady violated her n DA. There's NDAs all across
the board here. She violated her NDA. She had spent
(06:48):
some of the money she thought she won on a
singing contest. Oh man, Now he kind of feels like
a jerk about it, but he also was doing the
show and she should not have spent her money that
she hadn't won yet she signed the NDA.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
It's I'm Tony.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
It's more jaw dropping than the Game of Thrones, red
wedding than anything I ever saw on breaking back at
the Wire.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
I want to watch the twist. Well, it's it's unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Okay, all right.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
That is the rehearsal on HBO with Nathan Field. All Right,
sub Been and Skin showed ninety seven point one.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
The Eagle.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Coming up next, we have an audio bubble bath. KT's
gonna wow us with sounds. Can we guess him
Juicing news, Hot Gods, every come, stay on the top in.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
The woods shovel.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
I'm only doing this because I don't think you guys
are gonna get to it the same way I'm probably
not gonna get to the Pee Wee Herman documentary that.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
We discussed yesterday. It's what it is. It's what it is.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
I had some listeners reach out and say they cried,
and the pee we do say, I'm not trying to cry,
saying I'm gonna tell you a little bit about the
show that ended on Sunday night.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
On HBO called The Rehearsal, Season two of it.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
I've watched about thirty minutes of it. Stars Nathan Fielder,
the comedian. Here's the story. You don't even have to
watch season one of the rehearsal to.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Know what's going on here.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Okay, The premise of the show completely is he wants
to simulate these live situations so he can get the
live situation right. So all season long he's dedicated himself
to the subject of airline safety, and he's reasoning that
more plane crashes could have been avoided if pilots and
co pilots had healthier interpersonal interversal relationships. If in the
(01:01):
cockpit we can have an actual discussion. How you doing, man,
You're good, then maybe we wouldn't be having so many
tragic accidents.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
So he is going to take his idea all the
way up to Washington.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Now, wait, hold on, I think you need to set
the parameters of how this show is presented because it's
hyper real, and that's one of the things that makes
it interesting. It's absolutely really happening. With an HBO budget,
he creates simulations of life events, he hires actors. So
he's going to take this idea to Washington, right, He's
going to have a simulated congressional hearing before actually trying
(01:39):
to have a hearing at Congress. So because he's having
trouble getting people to go with him on this theory too,
or this idea. All right, So this is episode five
of a six episode season, so it's the episode before
the finale.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
And what he's going to do.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
He's going to hire a bunch of actors who are
going to play the actual members of Congress. Hire a
bunch of actors and put them in the audience of
the actual hearing. Okay, and they don't know what's going
on and we're going to try to simulate this as
if it would happen. So are these people improvisational actors
that he's surrounding himself with. They're coming in and it
(02:16):
shows him going through the auditions as well. For instance,
there's one where they're getting on a plane and his
line is, I would like to diet PEPSI please, Like
he's that's these people do. These are not real actors, okay, okay.
And one thing that he did is he did research
on comedians who have gone to Congress before for stuff
(02:36):
they cared about seth rogen for Alzheimer's research, John Stewart
and Stephen Colbert for nine to eleven Firefighters, right, And
He's like, one thing he had noticed is that they
issue a joke before Congress and then once they get
that out of the way, everyone will pay attention to
the actual cause because they're expecting me, as a comedian
(02:57):
to do this. Now, Nathan Fielder started on Nathan for
you if you don't know him, he's very dry, He's
I would be I would be surprised if more than
five people listening know who this guy is. The writings
are not good for the show, Like when you said
Nathan for you. I don't think there's a single person
listening right now. There's people who watched it on Comedy
(03:17):
Central ten years ago, they know, okay, but not many.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
All right, you're right, you're right.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
So but he is a comedian, all right, so he's
what does his research. So he's like, okay, so in
this simulation with these actors around, I'm going to issue
a joke and then we're going to get to the
serious nature of what I'm trying to get across here. Okay,
I'm gonna play you clip one of him sitting down
(03:45):
doing the joke again, Actors in Congress, actors.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Behind him in the audience of the courtroom.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
It's an honor to be here in front of the
Aviation Subcommittee. The last time I had to answer to
a transportation authority was when I got caught mastering on
that bus. But in my defense, the driver did keep
telling me to get off, so all right, Well that
(04:13):
was just a little joke. So you know, that's a
light in the mood there, And now we're gonna in
a seriousness. I do want to speak about an issue
that's become deeply important to me, which is aviation safety.
But I instantly realized something was wrong with this rehearsal
when no one in the room laughed. I was just wondering,
(04:35):
did you did you find that joke funny? The bus
joke that oh yeah, oh yeah cool? Because I noticed
you didn't laugh.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
I I didn't know what.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
I didn't know. I didn't know what if I was
supposed to laugh? Oh, I mean you're you're not supposed
to laugh. I mean you're not supposed to do anything.
You're just supposed to act like a human. You know,
you find something funny, then go for then laugh. Yeah,
if you've I did funny, yeah, absolutely, yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
All right, So then he tells him like, hey, you
guys can laugh. All right, I act like a human.
So we're gonna try it again. We've gotta try the
simulation again. Okay, get it right, Okay.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
Hey everyone, just a little reminder in cases any confusion,
we're all playing like human beings, right, So if you,
as a human, find something funny.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
It's okay to laugh. Just yeah, got it? Okay? Good.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
The last time I had to answer to a transportation
authority is when I got caught mastered on that bus.
But in my defense, the driver did keep telling me
to get off.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
Okay, good good.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
I just don't want anyone to force a So I'm.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Telling you though, that's the thing about this show is
I can't tell it's this is This is where it's crazy.
If you can't tell what people knowing what they don't.
They don't. I'm telling you they don't because here's what happens.
After the fifth episode, the sixth episode, the finale opens
and it goes two years back.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Two years ago, he got his pilot's license.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
He took a crew of people up on a Boeing
jet in a flight, and he has another a pilot
with him, and it's real. There's also a whole like
singing competition that they did in the Houston Airport too.
This lady violated her n DA. There's NDAs all across
the board here. She violated her NDA. She had spent
(06:48):
some of the money she thought she won on a
singing contest. Oh man, Now he kind of feels like
a jerk about it, but he also was doing the
show and she should not have spent her money that
she hadn't won yet she signed the NDA.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
It's I'm Tony.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
It's more jaw dropping than the Game of Thrones, red
wedding than anything I ever saw on breaking back at
the Wire.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
I want to watch the twist. Well, it's it's unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Okay, all right.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
That is the rehearsal on HBO with Nathan Field. All Right,
sub Been and Skin showed ninety seven point one.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
The Eagle.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Coming up next, we have an audio bubble bath. KT's
gonna wow us with sounds. Can we guess him
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