This time around we enter the sacred halls of fast–food anthropology: Arby’s Gobbler, McRib nostalgia lies, flaming-hot Funyuns, Checkers fries, Burger Con, fake burger franchises, Pluto TV comfort programming, and holiday survival without shame.

Double digits, baby—we’re official.

🎧 Listen now & send us your burger lore.

Dan kicks things off with a birthday rundown: his wife’s big day, a middle child who showed out with a from-scratch chocolate fudgy bundt cake and homemade ganache, and a family trip to Chewy’s in Conway that landed squarely in “perfectly fine..."

Adrian follows with his own downtown Italian misadventure: greasy calamari swimming in oil, kids’ menu “New York slices” that turned out to be Domino’s-sized, a side salad built out of olives and disappointment, and a Caesar that was mostly lettuce spines.

From there, the conversation drifts the way only Con Men can: mall food court nostalgia, Sbarro and Pizza Hut buffet memories, tabletop Pac-Man, and then a full dive into anime and mecha—Robotech/Macross, Toonami, Demon Slayer, and how anime and voice actors helped shape the modern con scene. They also spotlight the upcoming inaugural Illinois Comic Con in Peoria, running through guests like Billy West, Barry Lowin, Bryce Papenbrook, and more, and talk about why anime fests and VO guests are the backbone of a lot of regional shows. It’s food gripes, fandom history, and convention hype all in one long, geeky hangout.

In this episode, we slide from fall vibes into full-on holiday chaos: Conway’s infamous “largest outdoor artificial Christmas tree” (paid for by the fast-food “fat tax”), $11 million jewel-covered trees in Abu Dhabi, tree-lighting ceremonies, frozen choir kids, and the eternal showdown of hot cider vs. hot chocolate—with detours into homemade eggnog, White Russians, and a Russian “Crazy Cow” concoction that absolutely will get you in trouble.

From there, the guys go globetrotting through weird and wonderful festivals: Gilroy Garlic Festival, Frozen Dead Guy Days, Japan’s Hadaka Matsuri (the “naked” festival), Lebowski Fest, the Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant, the Humongous Fungus Fest, Pug Fest, and finally New Orleans’ San Fermin—the “running of the bulls” reimagined with roller-derby women in red chasing you with bats. They wrap things up talking cryptids, Cajun Con guest lists, Avatar voice actors, Blazing Saddles, and why local lore (and local cons) make fandom life so much fun.

The Con Men are back, rolling straight into spooky season with the kind of warm chaos only Adrian and Dan can conjure. This week we hit everything from kids leveling up into double digits to the newest Fantastic Four (the “fourth first one”) and why it might secretly be the best FF movie yet — which, yeah, is kind of a low bar. We also dive into Thunderbolts, convention adventures, and Adrian’s surprisingly wholesome review of the new Toxic Avenger remake. Spoilers: it’s gloriously messy in exactly the way you hope.

Dan also shares stories from working Missouri Anime Fest/Horror Con, including handling Ghostface himself, Lee Waddell, witnessing playful celeb rivalries, and getting starstruck by sci-fi royalty. We wrap with Halloween talk, candy debates, Faces of Death nostalgia, and the eternal peanut-butter-and-chocolate feud. As always, it’s unfiltered nerd talk, dad jokes, and the kind of Con-life storytelling that reminds us why we hit record in the first place. Come hang out, catch the full episode, and tell us your favorite Halloween candy.

Adrian (Nerd @ Heart) and Dan (deckr.media) dive into Renaissance Faires—what they are, why they work, and how they mash state fair chaos with con culture. We hit themed weekends (Pirate, Scottish, Time Traveler), vendors who commit to the bit, touring acts (shoutout Barely Balanced), kid-magnet games, and the big arena: full-plate jousts with story arcs. Adrian shares a kilt mishap PSA (choose your under-armor wisely), we talk accessibility and “safe to be yourself” vibes, and admit every con has at least a little cringe. Plus: D&D: Honor Among Thieves love, satanic-panic time capsule (Mazes & Monsters), random 80s/90s film detours, and why Ren Faires are a solid one-day hit even if you’re not in costume.

Got Ren Faire tips, pics, or horror stories? Email theconmenshow@gmail.com and we’ll feature our favorites.

Join in with Adrian & Dan as we delve into fall traditions, and a lot of CONversation about pie. We also try to determine exactly how much Cool Whip is a dollop, and is it enough?

Whether you take your slice on the side, or a la mode, this pie's for you!

In this episode, The Con Men (Adrian & Dan) stumble into the idea of Century Con™ – wherein we outline the idea to celebrate the last century decade-by-decade.

With a brief detour to a Galaxy Far Away to discuss a Li'l Green Fella and his Shiny Space Dad and whether or not "some Star Wars is better than none Star Wars..." or is it?

Also, you can email the show with your ideas or comments! theconmenshow@gmail.com

Lazy Sunday – SNL Digital Short

The Con Men start off this week checking in on Adrian after a recent trip to The House of Mouse™. Join in for anecdotes and new con ideas! Just as Adrian is about to outline a brilliant plan for a *British TV Con... ** record scratch ** Due to technical difficulties we cut back to the disappointing nature of Guest cancelations.

*Tune in to a future installment of The Con Men Show wherein we shall surely return to the topic... 😎