The Worst of All Possible Worlds

239 - Raiders of the Lost Ark

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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 

238 - A Chorus Line (feat. Heath Saunders)

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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.”

237 - The Trump Prophecy (2018)

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall

 

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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

236 - American Psycho (feat. JP Brammer)

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JP Brammer (¡Hola Papi!) and the lads throw on their raincoats, dance to Huey Lewis and the News, and commit some mild homicide as they cover both Bret Easton Ellis’ original book and Mary Harron’s film adaptation of the trials and tribulations of Patrick Bateman: American Psycho. Topics include Ellis’ rage-bait politics, Christian Bale’s hardbody, and what it means when a significant portion of a population aspires to be Patrick Bateman.

JP Brammer: Substack // Bluesky // Instagram

Media referenced in this episode:

• American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. Vintage. 1991.

• American Psycho. Dir. Mary Harron. 2000.

• “An 'American Psycho' Drama : Books: The flap surrounding Bret Easton Ellis' third novel flares again. NOW is seeking a boycott of his new publisher. Other observers raise questions of censorship.” by Elizabeth Venant. Los Angeles Times. December 11th, 1990.

• “Bret Easton Ellis on American Psycho, Christian Bale, and His Problem with Women Directors”. Movieline. May 18th, 2010.

• "Bret Easton Ellis on Talking Porn With Kanye, a New Novel, and (Yes) Trump" by Corey Seymour. Vogue. April 16th, 2019.

• “On Adapting American Psycho” by Mary Harron. London Review of Books. February 28th, 2024.

• “Phil Collins webchat – your questions answered on prog rock, self-doubt and Miami Vice.” The Guardian. October 19th, 2016.

Music/audio used in this episode:

• Martha Reeves & The Vandellas - Dancing In The Street

• 緑茶：日本の伝統茶道 - Nhạc Jazz Không Lời

• Huey Lewis & The News - Hip To Be Square

• Phil Collins - Sussudio

• Genesis - In Too Deep

• Genesis - Mama

• Genesis - That's All

• Genesis - Home By The Sea

• LilMati - Air Conditioner Fan Hum.wav

• jzielke011 - Urban Rain 01.wav

TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Interstitial: “Salve & Salve” // Written and Performed by A.J. Ditty

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Join us as we get to the bottom of the gay agenda once and for all.

235 - Beast Games from MrBeast Season Two: StrongSmart (feat. Kill the Computer)

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June and Caleb from Kill the Computer meet the lads for another round of stacking blocks in Beast City as they cover the second season of MrBeast’s nightmare of a game show: Beast Games: Strong/Smart. Topics include the improvements to the games themselves, the professionalism of Jeff Probst, and what it means to model yourself as a philanthropic savior while actively taking money from some of the worst people on the planet.

June: Twitch // Patreon // Bluesky

Caleb: Bluesky

Kill the Computer: June and Caleb talk about the ways in which internet culture spills out into the real world; good and bad.

• Patreon // Apple Podcasts // Spotify

Ill Conceived: A podcast about natalism. Hosted by Josh Boerman (The Worst of All Possible Worlds, Traditional Scrench) and June Sternbach (Western Kabuki, The Onion)

• Patreon // Spotify // Apple Podcasts

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• Beast Games: StrongSmart. Amazon Studios. 2026.
• “Gov. Stein approves $15 millions grant for filming Beast Games second season” by WITN Web Team. WITN First Alert. September 11th, 2025.
• “In 'Beast Games,' contestants get buried alive before heading to Saudi Arabia” by Jim Halterman. LA Times. February 11th, 2026.
• “MrBeast ‘Beast Games’ Hits 50 Million Viewers in 25 Days, Amazon’s Biggest Unscripted Show Ever” by Selome Hailu. Variety. January 16th, 2025.
• “MrBeast: If You Want To Be Liked, Don’t Help People! I Lost Tens Of Millions on Beast Games…But I’m Worth $1 Billion!” The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett. February 20th, 2025.
• North Carolina Department of Commerce Film Industry Grants
• “Prime Video Gives Two-Season Renewal to Global Hit Competition Series Beast Games.” Amazon Press Release. May 13th, 2025.
• “The REAL Tea on Beast Games (with Michelle the Human Calculator)”. Wait, Say More with Eric Cheng. January 15th, 2026

TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Interstitial: “2 People Play Hopscotch for $2,000,000” // Written by A.J. Ditty // feat. David Armstrong as “MrBeast”, Eleanor Philips as “Contestant 1/Chandler”, and A.J. Ditty as “Contestant 2/Young Jimmy/Planet Jimmy”

BONUS - Kill The Computer: The Smile Merchant feat. TWOAPW

Those of you who have been listening to our show for a while might remember last year when we did a cross-over collaboration with our friends at Kill The Computer to celebrate the work of Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson. We called it Beast Week.

And now, Beast Week is back.

In this episode of Kill The Computer, we talked with June and Caleb about a number of videos MrBeast released in 2025. Then we dug into his theme park Beast Land, a temporary pop-up in Riyadh that was open for 45 days as part of the annual Saudi entertainment festival known as Riyadh Season.

Next up, on Wednesday, June and Caleb will be joining us on The Worst of All Possible Worlds Patreon for a premium episode about season 2 of Beast Games. Finally, on Friday, we’ll conclude Beast Week on the Kill The Computer Patreon with an in-depth conversation about what Jimmy’s been up to so far this year and where we think he might go next.

Thanks for listening. Cool Voltaire loves you!

234 - Bernard After Reading (feat. Brooke from I Hate James Dobson) [Whit’s Endless Summer 51]

Brooke from the I Hate James Dobson podcast joins the lads in Odyssey for further adventures in local access television, getting boils in the land of Uz, and the increasingly diabolical schemes of the Novacom Corporation. Topics include the questionable accent choices, the dubious ethics of Whit’s latest invention, and what it means to craft a serialized plot where you rail against the evils of teaching kids about pollution.

I Hate James Dobson: Join therapists Jake (a former Evangelical) and Brooke (who knows almost nothing about Evangelical culture) as they read and tear apart Dobson’s works. Get ready to laugh, cry, and rip your hair out as we explore the very many reasons why I Hate James Dobson.

• Spotify // Apple Podcasts // Twitter // Instagram

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• Adventures in Odyssey
• #317: “B-TV: Envy”
• #419: “Another Man’s Shoes”
• #399: “Bernard and Job”
• #460: “Nova Rising”
• “The Disturbing Views of God and Suffering in the Book of Job” by Bart D. Ehrman. Misquoting Jesus Podcast with Bart D. Ehrman #75. April 23rd, 2025.
• “The Historical Context of the Book of Job” by Edward L. Greenstein. Yale University Press. August 5th, 2020.
• “Speaking Truth to Power, Job Accuses God of Being Unjust” by Edward L. Greenstein. The Torah.com.

TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com

233 - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 [Part 2] (feat. Joe Kassabian)

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall

Joe Kassabian (Lions Led by Donkeys) rejoins the lads in their fight against the Paintress they cover the final two acts of Sandfall Interactive’s hit 2025 grief simulator: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Topics include the importance of le family, Monoco’s feet collect-a-thon, and what it means to use art as a balm for one’s grief and, more importantly, when to let that art go.

Joe Kassabian: Bluesky

Lions Led by Donkeys: The Lions Led By Donkeys podcast is a military history podcast for laughing at the worst military failures, inept commanders, and crazy stories from throughout the history of human conflict.

Patreon // Youtube // Spotify // Apple Podcasts // Instagram

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Sandfall Interactive. 2025.

TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Interstitial: “Expedition 32 ½: Tatienne” // Written by A.J. Ditty // feat. Eleanor Philips as “Tatienne”, David Arsmstrong as “Gaston”, and A.J. Ditty as “Esquie/Verso”

232 - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 [Part 1] (feat. Joe Kassabian)

Joe Kassabian (Lions Led by Donkeys) and the lads throw on their expedition armbands and make for the Paintress as they cover the first act of Sandfall Interactive’s hit 2025 French simulator: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Topics include the AI controversy, Ubu Roi, and what it means to make a game that finds the clair in the obscur.

Preorder Joe’s Upcoming Book The Highlands Burn here!!!

Joe Kassabian: Bluesky

Lions Led by Donkeys: The Lions Led By Donkeys podcast is a military history podcast for laughing at the worst military failures, inept commanders, and crazy stories from throughout the history of human conflict.

Patreon // Youtube // Spotify // Apple Podcasts // Instagram

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Sandfall Interactive. 2025.
• “After GOTY pull, Clair Obscur devs draw line in sand over AI: 'Everything will be made by humans by us'” by Patricia Hernandez. Polygon. December 24th, 2025.
• “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Lead Writer talks Story, Ending, and More” by Game Maker's Notebook
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Sandfall Interactive Q&A by Sushi
• “Interview Clair Obscur Expedition 33 : ‘On ne s'attendait pas à une réception aussi énorme’” by Par Kelma. Gamekult. August 28th, 2024.

TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Interstitial: “Gaston Garbageman’s Gommage-Proof Garbage Can” // Written by A.J. Ditty // feat. David Armstrong as “Gaston” and A.J. Ditty as “Citizen of Lumière”