Hoot’n & Holler’n With Matt Mitchell

The Tornado-Chasing Garbage Man

We’re back in the vault.

 

This episode of Scattered & Covered comes from one of our live, on-location recordings where we basically set up, see who walks by, and let it rip.

 

This time, we met a garbage man who chases tornadoes.

 

From the Boston Celtics to trash truck mechanics to real-life storm chasing in Alabama, this one goes everywhere and somehow keeps getting better.

The Episode That Shouldn’t Exist (But Here We Are)

Somehow… this became a full episode.

What started as leftover clips from our last recording quickly turned into something we couldn’t ignore. We went off the rails, stayed there, and now you’re listening to the results.

In this episode, we bounce between mariachi bands playing “Achy Breaky Heart,” an ongoing rat situation that may or may not be escalating, the chaos of Costco, competitive eating legends, hot dog rankings, and a few stories that probably should’ve stayed off the record.

It doesn’t make sense. There’s no real theme. And honestly, we’re not even sure how it all connects.

But it made us laugh… so here we are.

If you enjoy Southern storytelling, off-the-cuff conversations, and the kind of randomness that only happens when nobody hits the brakes—this one’s for you.

Pre-Internet Lies We All Believed

Before Google, before smartphones, before you could fact-check anything in 2 seconds… we just believed stuff.

 

In this episode, the guys dive into the wild world of pre-internet urban legends—the rumors, myths, and straight-up lies that somehow spread across the country with zero proof and 100% confidence. 

 

From Marilyn Manson being that kid from The Wonder Years, to Pop Rocks and Coke “killing you,” to every town having a Crybaby Bridge, we break down the stories we all heard growing up—and why we believed every single one of them.

 

We also get into:

• The Satanic Panic and the stuff people thought was “evil”

• The rumor that Procter & Gamble was secretly sinister

• Small-town legends like hitman capital of the world

• And the weird ways these stories spread before the internet even existed

 

If you grew up in the 80s, 90s, or early 2000s, there’s a very good chance you believed at least one of these… and probably repeated it like it was fact.

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The Ultimate Cable TV Movie Bracket

What is the greatest movie ever shown on cable TV?

 

In this episode of Hoot’n & Holler’n, we build the Ultimate Cable TV Movie Bracket to settle one of the most important debates in television history: which movie dominated basic cable for decades?

 

From action classics to endlessly replayed comedies, we debate and rank the movies that basically lived on TBS, TNT, USA, and FX. The bracket includes cable staples like The Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, Jurassic Park, The Fugitive, Die Hard, Armageddon, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, Speed, Twister, Mrs. Doubtfire, Tombstone, A Few Good Men, Pretty Woman, Dirty Dancing, Air Force One, Remember the Titans, Rudy, Dumb and Dumber, and more.

 

Some of these movies are genuine all-time classics.

Some of them just felt like classics because cable TV played them 4,000 times a year.

 

Along the way we ask the important questions:

Which movie actually deserves the title of Greatest Cable Movie Ever?

Which one only seemed bigger because we saw it every Saturday afternoon?

And which cable TV legend gets knocked out way too early?

Superbad, Borat, and the Last Great Comedy Era

In this episode of Hoot’n and Holler’n, the guys dive headfirst into one of the greatest cinematic debates of our lifetime: what actually counts as the greatest comedy movie ever made?

 

From Anchorman and Superbad to Borat, Step Brothers, and a few deep cuts you may not have thought about in years, we look back at the era when comedy movies dominated theaters and every line instantly became quotable.

 

Along the way we talk about the movies that shaped our sense of humor, the comedies we definitely weren’t supposed to be watching growing up, and why it feels like Hollywood just doesn’t make comedies like this anymore.

 

Plus:

• The first comedy movie we ever got in trouble for watching

• The movies our dads quoted nonstop

• The comedy everyone else loves that we absolutely cannot stand

 

If you’ve ever quoted Napolean Dynamite, argued about Will Ferrell’s best movie, or wondered where all the great comedy movies went… this one’s for you.

That’s Illegal Now

This week on Hoot'n & Holler'n we're reaching back to the not-so-distant past to a time when riding in the back of a truck, wandering the woods all day, buying cigs for your parents at the gas station, and drinking straight from the hose felt completely normal… and somehow nobody called the authorities.

The guys swap stories about growing up in an era where the main safety plan was “try not to die,” from sketchy rides and small-town gas station runs to the pre-cell-phone problem solving that built a little character (and probably a few bad habits).

If you ever got told to go outside and not come back till dark, this one’s for you.

Pull up a chair and come laugh with us about the stuff that definitely wouldn’t be allowed today.

The Great Happy Meal Arms Race

What happened to Happy Meal toys… and why did they used to be so much better?

In this episode of Hoot’n and Holler’n, we’re heading back to the golden age of McDonald’s — when PlayPlaces ruled, Boo Buckets were a necessity, and the toy inside the box was engineered like a NASA space shuttle.

We dive into the surprising history behind the 90s Happy Meal “arms race,” when competing designers were trying to outdo each other with wind-up cars, transforming food robots, licensed movie tie-ins, and toys that somehow lasted longer than most household appliances. Along the way we talk McNugget Buddies, Power Rangers, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario Bros, Disney classics, Beanie Baby chaos, and the weird corporate decisions that changed kids’ meals forever.

Plus: childhood memories, thrift store toy bins, fast food nostalgia, and the realization that today’s toys just don’t hit the same.

If you grew up begging for a Happy Meal — or just miss when fast food felt a little more magical — this one’s for you.

Grab some fries and come holler with us.

© Ostrich Media, LLC 2026

Underwear Love Letters

This week on Hoot’n & Holler’n, we dig into the wonderfully awkward world of childhood Valentine’s Day to discuss the era of Big B valentine's, pocket chocolates, and stuffing handwritten love notes in your underwear. From elementary school crushes to the bizarre unspoken rules of classroom Valentine exchanges, we revisit the stories that somehow still live rent-free in our heads.

It’s a nostalgic, slightly unhinged trip back to a time when romance meant candy hearts, folded paper notes, and the courage to put your feelings in writing and then have your friend throw that letter away. We swap embarrassing memories, laugh at how strange those rituals really were, and try to figure out what made kid Valentine’s Day so memorable in the first place.

If you’ve ever carried melting chocolate in your pocket or overthought a Valentine card like it was a life decision, this episode’s for you.

 

© 2026 Ostrich Media LLC. All rights reserved.

GoldenEye, Halo, and Kansas State

🎮 Sleepover, Part 2 — The Video Game Years

In Part 2 of our Sleepover series, we go full couch-co-op nostalgia and relive the golden age of growing up with a controller in your hand and a CRT TV buzzing in the corner. From split-screen GoldenEye chaos and screen-watching accusations to all-night seasons of NCAA Football, Tecmo Bowl, and Super Smash Bros, this episode is a love letter to when video games were something you did together.

We swap stories about sleepovers that lasted until daylight, tournaments decided by broken controllers, and the unspoken rules that kept friendships intact (no Oddjob, no Kansas State, and absolutely no mercy). The conversation runs through iconic titles like Mortal Kombat, Blitz, Mario Party, Halo, GTA, Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and the magical chaos of the Nintendo Wii era when everyone suddenly became an athlete in their living room.

We also talk about how gaming slowly shifted from four people on one couch to everyone on their own screen, and why those old-school sleepover vibes can never quite be replicated. Add in stories about LAN parties in college dorms, cheat codes, memory cards, burned-in plasma TVs, and the weird social rules of multiplayer trash talk, and you’ve got an episode that hits right in the childhood.

If you ever stayed up way too late chasing one more win, this one’s for you.

The Spend the Night Party

Sleepovers (or "Spend the Night" Parties) were a childhood rite of passage, and in this episode of Hoot’n and Holler’n, the guys look back on why they were either the best nights of your life or absolute disasters you still think about years later.

 

Hosts Matt Mitchell (SEC Roll Call, Bless Your Rank, It’s a Southern Thing), Eric Nix, Joey Prestley, and Drake Pittman share stories from the golden age of sleepovers. From planning them weeks ahead of time and learning the hard rule of never falling asleep first, to getting stuck at the wrong house with no TV, strict grandparents, cigarette smoke in the living room, and parents who shut everything down way too early. Things escalate quickly with failed boy band ideas, video game fights, trampoline wrestling, dads who played football like it was full contact, and one legendary taco-night emergency that marked the end of childhood for everyone involved.

 

It’s a funny, nostalgic conversation about growing up Southern, figuring out friendships, and knowing exactly when it’s time to call your mom and ask her to come get you.

 

© 2026 Ostrich Media LLC