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The first and only podcast bringing you weekly case studies in the pop culture of a dying empire. Every Wednesday, co-hosts Josh, Brian, and A.J. dissect an artifact of popular culture, breaking down how its narrative choices reflect or subvert the reactionary political project. From video games to movies to theater to an apparently infinite supply of evangelical Christian radio drama, we expose the machinations of the worst of all possible worlds in order to figure out how to build a better one. Also, we have bits.
Episodes
4 days ago
4 days ago
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
Mark Zuckerberg spent seven years and $80 billion attempting to build Horizon Worlds, a virtual reality "metaverse" that peaked at around 200,000 monthly users in October 2022. After years of decay, Horizon froze the creation of new worlds in VR this week, shifting the platform's focus back to mobile and marking the effective end of Meta's virtual reality ambitions. This week, the lads perform an autopsy on both Horizon Worlds and Mark Zuckerberg's dream of the metaverse more broadly, discovering how a platform built on the vision of a revolutionary gaming headset eventually gave way to a world solely inhabited by dozens of eight-year-olds screaming slurs in 360 degrees of immersive 3D.
Media Referenced in this Episode:
- Meta Horizons Worlds for Oculus Quest, including the following worlds:
- “Horizon Central”
- “Bobber Bay Fishing”
- “NBA Arena”
- “Coldplay Music of the Spheres World Tour”
- “METDONALD’S”
- “Pizza Kitchen”
- “Bad Roommates UPDATED!”
- “I Spent A Week Alone In The Metaverse” by Jarvis Johnson (August 1, 2023)
- Kickstarter campaign for Oculus Rift
- Oculus VR profile on Crunchbase
- “Happy Go Luckey: Meet the 20-year-old creator of Oculus Rift” by Robert Purchase (Eurogamer, July 11, 2013)
- “John Carmack's former employer claims he stole tech for Oculus VR when he left” by Ben Gilbert (Engadget, May 1, 2014)
- “Palmer Luckey: The Facebook Near-Billionaire Secretly Funding Trump’s Meme Machine” by Ben Collins and Gideon Resnick (The Daily Beast, September 22, 2016)
- Palmer Luckey’s post about Nimble American on Facebook (September 23, 2016)
- “Palmer Luckey distances himself from Nimble America group” by Matt Kamen (Wired, September 26, 2016)
- “Facebook launches beta of Spaces, its goofy and fun social VR platform” by Lucas Matney (TechCrunch, April 18, 2017)
- The Mark Zuckerberg/Sweet Baby Ray’s edit
- “Zuckerberg blasted for tone-deaf 'magical' VR tour of Puerto Rico” from CNET News (October 10, 2017)
- Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams (Flatiron Books, 2025)
- “Introducing Oculus Quest” from Meta Developers (February 13, 2019)
- “Oculus Quest Basics Tutorial” from Meta Quest (May 20, 2019)
- “Everything revealed at Facebook's Oculus Horizon presentation” from CNET Highlights (September 25, 2019)
- “Building the Tools to Power the Future of Work” press release from Facebook (May 21, 2020)
- “Growth At Any Cost: Top Facebook Executive Defended Data Collection In 2016 Memo — And Warned That Facebook Could Get People Killed” by Ryan Mac, Charlie Warzel, and Alex Kantrowitz (BuzzFeed News, March 29, 2018)
- “Zuckerberg Says He Strongly Disagrees With “The Ugly” Memo By Top Facebook Exec” by Jim Dalrymple II (BuzzFeed News, March 29, 2018)
- “Facebook Horizon | New Worlds in the Making” from Meta Quest (August 27, 2020)
- “Facebook launches ‘Horizon Workrooms.’ Here's how it works” from CBS Mornings (August 19, 2021)
- “The Metaverse and How We'll Build It Together -- Connect 2021” from Meta (October 28, 2021)
- Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook post announcing Horizon Worlds launching in France and Spain
- Announcement that legs are coming soon
- Footage of Meta Connect 2024 in Horizon Worlds
- “What Went Wrong With Horizon Worlds? Former Meta Devs Share Surprising Insights -- And a Solution to Still Save It” by Wagner James Au (March 12, 2025; archived from the original on March 16, 2025)
- “Eli Roth Brings His Brand of Horror to Meta Horizon Worlds + Meta Quest TV” Meta press release (October 14, 2022)
- “Why The Metaverse Was Doomed From The Start” by The Art of Storytelling (March 27, 2026)
- “Zuck Never Understood the Metaverse” by The Morbid Zoo (April 4, 2026)
- “How Did the Metaverse Fail So Badly?” by Patrick Boyle (April 12, 2026)
- “What does Meta actually do now?” by Good Work (May 8, 2026)
- “Meta burned $19 billion on VR last year, and 2026 won’t be any better” by Lucas Ropek (TechCrunch, January 28, 2026)
- Announcement from Meta that Spark will be shutting down in January 2025
- “Meta is closing down its VR meeting rooms as part of its wider cull” by Mariella Moon (Engadget, January 16, 2026)
- “Meta Lays Off 8,000 Employees, as A.I. Casualties Mount” by Eli Tan, Kalley Huang, and Mike Isaac (The New York Times, May 19, 2026)
- “Backrooms uses the bluntest of metaphors to capture a uniquely Gen Z fear” by Joshua Rivera (The A.V. Club, June 5th, 2026)
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Interstitial: “Connect Keynote Address 2026” // Written by A.J. Ditty // feat. Brian Alford as “Zucks”
Wednesday Jun 10, 2026
Wednesday Jun 10, 2026
maia arson crimew joins the lads for a gruesome game of Slayer and a quick round of Society as they cover the rich text of toxic masculinity that is Neveldine/Taylor’s 2009 murderfest: Gamer. Topics include Michael C. Hall’s puppet moves, the film’s deep fear of penises, and what it means to live in a world where tech billionaires want to control your every thought.
maia arson crimew: Website // Bluesky
Want more TWOAPW? Get access to our full back catalogue of premium/bonus episodes by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!
Media Referenced in this Episode:
- Gamer. Neveldine/Taylor. 2009.
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Interstitial: “Ken Castle’s Crazy Kart” // Written and Performed by A.J. Ditty
Wednesday Jun 03, 2026
Wednesday Jun 03, 2026
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
David Armstrong (Bonus Action) upgrades the lads to the Rainbow Package as they cover Ben Stiller’s 1996 cult thriller/comedy: The Cable Guy. Topics include trials of the century, the cultural significance of Medieval Times, and what it means to contemplate 90s monoculture in a post-cable world.
Bonus Action: Hail and well met, Peaches! Adam and Jay from the reaction channel pReview’d have started an Actual Play TTRPG channel with their DM friend David Armstrong.
Media Referenced in this Episode:
- The Cable Guy. Dir. Ben Stiller. 1996.
- “How a Sure Summer Hit Missed” by Bernard Weinraub. New York Times. June 27th, 1996.
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Interstitial: “The Sound of Larry the Cable Guy Encouraging Renowned British Theater Director Trevor Nunn to Attack A Critic at a Local Pub Mere Hours After Said Critic Panned His, and By His I Mean Trevor Nunn’s, Revival of The Sound of Music” // Written by A.J. Ditty // feat. David Armstrong as “Larry the Cable Guy”
Wednesday May 27, 2026
Wednesday May 27, 2026
The lads bring Odyssey to Brooklyn as they, along with their newly-formed acting troupe Théǎtre Voltaire, get to the bottom of the Gay Agenda by covering the infamously never-produced episode of Adventures in Odyssey: “One-In-Ten”. Topics include the structure of a very special episode, the resplendent beauty of a crow’s call, and the paramount importance of being as gay as humanly possible.
Want more TWOAPW? Get access to our full back catalogue of premium/bonus episodes by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!
Théâtre Voltaire
- Jessie Cannizzaro as Jimmy
- Madeleine Bundy as Artie/Donna
- James Fouhey as Sam/Mr. Andrews
- Alex Ptak as Mr. Michaels
- Jeremy Kaplowitz as Rodney Rathbone
- Patrick Harvey as George
- Cristina Pitter as Mary
- Dara Swisher as Foley
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Interstitial: “James Dobson in Hell” // Written by A.J. Ditty // feat. A.J. Ditty as “James Dobson” and William Vaughn as “James Dobson’s BFF”
Wednesday May 20, 2026
Wednesday May 20, 2026
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
TICKETS TO OUR MAY 24 LIVE SHOW IN BROOKLYN ARE ON GENERAL SALE NOW! LIVE STREAM AVAILABLE! To get your tickets, go to Littlefieldnyc.com
The lads hide their demon marks and move their shoulders to Sodapop as they cover Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans’ 2025 musical megahit: KPop Demon Hunters. Topics include the origins of KPop, the frustrating narrative choices, and the absolute joy of watching a group of demon slayers cap off a successful hunt with some much deserved couch time.
Media Referenced in this Episode:
- KPop Demon Hunters. Dir. Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans. 2025
- “‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Directors on Why This Was Too Personal To Walk Away From: ‘We’re Gonna Do It Even if It Kills Us’” by Jake Hodges & Perri Nemiroff. Collider. October 4th, 2025.
- “KPop Demon Hunters is Officially Entering Its Sequel Era” by Stephan Lee. Tudum by Netflix. March 12th, 2026.
- “‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Smash Hit ‘Golden’ Surpasses 1 Billion Views on Youtube” by Hannah Dailey. Billboard. January 14th, 2026.
- “KPop Demon Hunters Took 7 Years to Make But a Lifetime to Experience” by Regina Kim. New York Times. July 21st, 2025.
- “Netflix announces ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ world concert tour” by Fred Topel. Y! Entertainment. May 13th, 2026.
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Thursday May 14, 2026
Thursday May 14, 2026
Hi everyone,
Josh here with your (hopefully) one-stop shop for all details regarding the May 24 7PM ET live show, including how the livestream will work. HERE'S THE LINK TO TICKETS AT LITTLEFIELDNYC.COM.
TL;DR:
- We're excited to have you on the livestream to bring in as much of our audience as possible
- The stream will be on YouTube. You'll get the link right before the show and the VOD will stay up for at least 30 days
- We'll have live chat during the stream
- The video of the show will only be available to people who purchased a livestream ticket via VOD. The edited audio will be released as the main feed episode on May 27, but it will not include the special live-only interstitial
- This is the most ambitious thing we've attempted for this show so far and we need you to help us tear this shit apart
Get those tickets and we'll see you on the 24th.
Love,
Josh
Wednesday May 13, 2026
Wednesday May 13, 2026
LIVESTREAM AND IN PERSON TICKETS TO OUR MAY 24 LIVE SHOW IN BROOKLYN ARE AVAILABLE NOW! To get your tickets, go to Littlefieldnyc.com
The lads ring in their fifth anniversary by finally explaining the show’s title as they cover the 1974 revival of Leonard Bernstein’s hit operetta: Candide. Topics include Voltaire’s poster mind, the masterful direction of Hal Prince, and what it takes to remain hopeful in the face of the worst of all possible worlds.
Media Referenced in this Episode:
- Candide. Dir. Hal Prince. 1974.
- “Candide” by Voltaire
- Libretto for the 1974 Production
- Libretto for the 1956 Production
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Interstitial: “The Worst of All Possible Worlds” // Music by Leonard Bernstein // Lyrics by A.J. Ditty // featuring A.J. Ditty as “A.J.“, Josh Boerman as “Josh”, and Brian Alford as “Briangloss”
Wednesday May 06, 2026
Wednesday May 06, 2026
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
TICKETS TO OUR MAY 24 LIVE SHOW IN BROOKLYN ARE ON GENERAL SALE NOW! To get your tickets, go to Littlefieldnyc.com
The lads grab their fedoras and make for Cairo as they cover Steven Spielberg’s 1981 megahit: Raiders of the Lost Ark. Topics include the undeniable charm of Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones’ skeevy origins, and what it means to be an active part of living history.
Media Referenced In this Episode:
- Raiders of the Lost Ark. Dir. Steven Spielberg. 1981.
- The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Dir. John Huston. 1948.
- King Solomon’s Mines. Dir. Compton Bennett and Andrew Marton. 1950.
- Secret of the Incas. Dir. Jerry Hopper. 1954.
- Kiss Me Deadly. Dir. Robert Aldrich. 1955.
- Tim Tyler’s Luck. Dir. Ford Beebe and Wyndham Gittens. 1937.
- The S From Hell by Rodney Ascher. 2010.
- Jungle Jim. Dir. Ford Beebe and Clifford Smith. 1937.
- Alfred Molina remembers Raiders
- CBS - Great Movie Stunts: Raiders of the Lost Ark
- “How Spielberg, Lucas, and Kasdan Created Raiders of the Lost Ark (Story Conference Transcript)” by Indie Film Hustle. Indie Film Hustle. May 31st, 2023.
- “Indiana Jones was an abusive creep (but he was almost much worse)” by Ben Kuchera. Polygon. August 3rd, 2015.
- “Raiders Floorplan Animatic” by Vashy Nedomansky and Jonathan Ochmann
- “Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People” by Jack G. Shaheen. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 588, 2003, pp. 171–93.
- “The Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark” by Empire. Empire. June 11th, 2021.
- The Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark Special Feature Documentary
- “The Spielberg Oner” by Every Frame a Painting
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Interstitial: “Florizo Forrestal and the Booby Trap of Doom” // Written by A.J. Ditty // feat. David Armstrong as “Florizo Forrestal/Indy” and A.J. Ditty as “Marcus” // Music by: Indiana Jones - Bad Recorder Cover
Wednesday Apr 29, 2026
Wednesday Apr 29, 2026
TICKETS TO OUR MAY 24 LIVE SHOW IN BROOKLYN ARE ON GENERAL SALE NOW! To get your tickets, go to Littlefieldnyc.com
Heath Saunders (Jesus Christ Superstar Live; Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812) joins the lads on the line as they kick-ball-change their way through Marvin Hamlisch, Edward Kleban, James Kirkwood Jr., and Nicholas Dante’s 1975 musical megahit: A Chorus Line. Topics include the rise of Michael Bennett, the serendipity of surprise playbills, and what it means to produce a show about 1970s labor in 2026.
Heath Saunders: Instagram // Bluesky // spectra.theater
Media Referenced in this Episode:
- A Chorus Line. 1975. Dir. Michael Bennett.
- A Chorus Line. 1984. Dir. Richard Attenborough.
- A Chorus Line. 2006. Dir. Bob Avian.
- Every Little Step. 2008. Dir. James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo.
- Free For All: Joe Papp, The Public, and the Greatest Theater Story Ever Told by Kenneth Turan and Joseph Papp. Knopf Publishing. 2009.
- On the Line: The Creation of A Chorus Line by Robert Viagas, Baayork Lee, and Thommie Walsh. Limelight Editions. 1990.
- “What I Think About When I Hear That Broadway is Racist” by Heath Saunders. Medium. June 10th, 2020.
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Interstitial: “I Can’t Do That” // Music by Marvin Hamlisch // Lyrics by Dr. Samuel Bultch, D.D.S. // feat. Dr. Samuel Bultch, D.D.S. as “Dr. Samuel Bultch, D.D.S.”
Wednesday Apr 22, 2026
Wednesday Apr 22, 2026
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
HEADS UP: Tickets to our Brooklyn live show on May 24 are on general sale now! To get your tickets, go to Littlefieldnyc.com
In 2011, as he sat in his recliner in the liminal state between asleep and awake with Fox News blaring, an Orlando firefighter named Mark Taylor received a message from God: the man yelling about the devaluation of the dollar on TV right then would be the next president of the United States, serving for this nation as Benjamin Neteyahu had for Israel. Four years later, when Donald Trump announced his candidacy, a woman named Mary Colbert and her husband Don cited this “prophecy” to convince evangelical Christians that they should back him, conveniently raising their own profiles in the process.
While evangelical support for Trump has remained overwhelming and steadfast since then, events within the past few weeks have raised serious questions about the durability of Trump’s appeal to Christians. This week, Josh and Brian read the 2017 book The Trump Prophecy and watch its bizarre Liberty University-backed 2018 film adaptation of the same name to try to figure out how evangelicals coalesced behind Trump so quickly and strongly, why the state of Israel is such a pervasive rallying point for them, and whether things can ever change for a group of people willing to believe in a fire lieutenant and self-titled prophet who also goes by the name Shakina Kami.
Media referenced in this episode:
- The Trump Prophecies: The Astonishing True Story of the Man Who Saw Tomorrow...and What He Says Is Coming Next by Mark Taylor (Defender Publishing, 2017)
- The Trump Prophecy dir. Stephan Schultze (ReelWorksStudios, 2018)
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com