The Nightly

Wils Pelton and Josh Gondelman trace the unexpected return of hacky sack and revisit the playground games that shaped them.What You’ll Hear:The Teens Are Alright: Josh brings shocking cultural news from the youth front: hacky sack is back. Wils helps unpack the surprisingly timeless energy of crunchy outdoor games, Tevas included.Gym Class Flashbacks: From wall ball to knockout to strategically getting eliminated as fast as possible, the conversation drifts through schoolyard memories, competitive streaks, and the fine art of sitting on the sidelines chatting.Naming Things Correctly: A brief but deeply satisfying detour into Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me!, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and the joy of finally figuring out what exactly you’ve been thinking of all these years.CHAPTERS00:00 Intro & hacky sack returns02:17 Spikeball and playground culture04:10 Are kids actually playing hacky sack07:21 She’s All That and makeover movies11:25 Wils on avoiding gym class forever14:35 Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me! nerves16:00 Whose Line confusion resolved16:56 Spotify comments and listener shoutouts

Josh Gondelman and Wils Pelton swap stories about community care, secret shows, and the strange magic of being somewhere after hours.What You’ll HearSmall Acts Big Feelings: Josh shares how a local fundraiser and neighborhood organizing reminded him that even tiny acts of care can make the world feel a little more livable.Locked Out at Midnight: Wils recounts a late-night key panic that spirals into a conversation about neighbors, locksmiths, and the dream of having your own trusted spare-key person.After Hours Fantasy League: From empty museums to private water parks, Josh and Wils imagine the ultimate places to roam once everyone else has gone home.CHAPTERS00:00 Intro & community organizing05:30 Wils loses their keys09:00 Dream after-hours locations12:00 Secret shows and phone-free spaces14:30 Ellen DeGeneres stand-up appreciation15:45 TV recommendations and sitcoms20:15 Wils recommends buying lilies22:00 Goodnight Ellen and Portia

Josh Gondelman and Wils Pelton swap favorite children’s books, dream vacations, and strong opinions about sandy car rides home.What You’ll Hear:Picture Books That Stick With You: From Goodnight Moon to suspiciously persuasive fish, Josh and Wils revisit the children’s books they loved growing up — plus the surprisingly sweet stories inspiring Josh’s own picture book idea.Vacation Personalities Revealed: Are you a beach person, a lake person, or a cabin-in-the-woods person? The conversation drifts through Cape Cod, Hudson Valley escapes, Fire Island plans, and the universal desire to sit still somewhere beautiful.The Art of Traveling Comfortably: Umbrellas, beach proximity, avoiding the dreaded wet-and-sandy ride home — Josh and Wils unpack the tiny vacation details that quietly make or break a trip.CHAPTERS00:00 Favorite children’s books04:44 Josh shares his picture book idea08:47 Vacation styles and sitting still13:00 Beach people vs. lake people16:39 Cape Cod and summer memories18:05 Fire Island plans and beach experiments18:40 Goodnight moon and grateful travelers

KP Parker and Matt Bragg revisit the golden age of WWE, from Stone Cold Steve Austin to The Undertaker’s undead era.What You’ll Hear:The Attitude Era Lives Forever: KP and Matt swap memories from late-’90s wrestling fandom, including antihero icons, giant personalities, and the strangely comforting chaos of WWE storylines.The Most Ridiculous Wrestling Lore: From Kane’s fire-filled backstory to Rikishi’s unforgettable finishing move, they explore the wonderfully over-the-top logic that made wrestling impossible to stop watching.Royal Rumble Rules: A sleepy deep dive into why the Royal Rumble remains one of wrestling’s greatest inventions — plus the drinking game that turned KP into a lifelong fan.CHAPTERS00:00 Welcome to The Nightly01:10 Stone Cold Steve Austin memories06:00 The Undertaker and Kane lore10:50 How WWE storylines work12:30 Wildest wrestling plotlines14:10 Going to WWE events in person17:15 Rikishi and the Stink Face19:00 Why the Royal Rumble rules

KP Parker and Matt Bragg wander from thrift store mysteries to reality TV rabbit holes, with a surprising amount of turtle expertise along the way.What You’ll HearThe Legend of Gilbert: A thrifted green mug sparks an investigation.Reality TV University: The conversation drifts through Kardashians, reality TV scandals, and why some reality shows somehow make family logistics feel dramatic.Odd Pets & Side Quests: From rescue cats named Bumpy to a roadside tortoise wandering through a reptile shop, KP and Matt swap stories about the strangely memorable animals people bring into their lives.CHAPTERS00:00 Intro & Gilbert the mug02:52 Weird creature stores & roadside tortoises05:40 Pet adoption names08:24 The Kardashians... explained very casually11:31 The Furys and reality TV awkwardness14:18 Love Island scandals & Westgate15:34 Scandoval enters the chat17:08 Molly-Mae & influencer exhaustion18:00 WWE reality shows & wrestling nostalgia19:49 Goodnight to Gilbert

KP Parker and Matt Bragg tumble from championship snooker to ancient Greek jokes to one very confusing cast list.What You’ll HearThe Snooker Rabbit Hole: Matt breaks down the surprisingly glamorous world of professional snooker, from perfect games to tiny theater championships and a 22-year-old world champion with a remarkable story.Reading Rules and Book Guilt: KP and Matt unpack the strange pressure to finish books you’re no longer enjoying, plus the very specific chaos of trying to read two books at once.The Billy Zane Conspiracy: A casual conversation about movie trailers spirals into a full-blown investigation into whether Billy Zane was secretly in The Mummy all along.CHAPTERS00:00 Intro & snooker obsessions03:28 The Crucible and championship stories05:22 Could KP have been a javelin star?09:05 Outdoor gyms and 75 Hard12:02 Fiction vs nonfiction reading14:40 The freedom to quit bad books16:24 Ancient Greek comedy and Shakespeare19:31 Movie trailers spoil everything21:47 The Mummy and the Billy Zane Mandela effect

KP Parker and Matt Bragg wander through the wonderfully strange world of shoes, games, and very specific hobbies.What You’ll Hear:The Shoe Rabbit Hole: From Clarks Originals to surrealist Birkenstocks to impossibly pointy cowboy boots, KP and Matt swap favorite footwear finds and debate the value of a whimsical shoe.A Sport Called Welly Wanging: Matt introduces KP to the delightfully low-tech pastime of throwing rain boots across a field. It’s part village fair tradition, part accidental athletic event.The Pop-Tart Game Saga Continues: KP gives an update on her Goodwill chessboard adventure and opens up a mysterious Pop-Tart card game that somehow involves multiple rulebooks, refrigerators, and foil cards.CHAPTERS00:00 Travel catch-up and shoe talk 01:30 Clarks Originals and outlet shopping 05:23 shoes and street food 06:44 What is welly wanging 10:00 Winklepickers and pointy boots 12:52 The Goodwill chessboard saga 14:30 The surprisingly complex Pop-Tart game 20:19 Goodnights to welly wangers and Liam Gallagher