Ready to take a whirling, twirling plunge into the unknown? Then this splashy smackdown is for you. It’s scuba diving vs. skydiving! Comedy writer and lego master model builder Sam Suksiri dukes it out with writer and co-host of the podcast Million Bazillion Ryan Perez in this diving debate. Which awesome activity will win?
Vote below for the team YOU think won!
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As an added bonus, your Smarty Pass will grant you access to a super special debate starring Sanden and Molly! Vote for the debate you want Molly and Sanden to tackle here.
Audio Transcript
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CREW: From the brains behind Brains On, it's Smash Boom Best--
KNOWLEDGE: The show for people with big opinions.
MOLLY BLOOM: Hi, I'm Molly Bloom. And this is Smash Boom Best, the show where we take two things, smash them together, and ask you to decide which one is best. Today's debate is going to be a thrill-seeking thrash. One side challenges you to dive deep into the unknown.
The other asks you to soar the skies. Both require a great leap of faith and a whole lot of nerve. Get ready to take the plunge because it's scuba diving versus skydiving. We've got comedy writer and the LEGO master model builder Sam Suksiri here to rep team scuba diving.
SAM SUKSIRI: I am over-prepared to talk about how amazing it is under the water.
MOLLY BLOOM: And writer, actor, and co-host of the podcast, Million Bazillion, Ryan Perez, here to defend skydiving.
RYAN PEREZ: Thanks, Molly Bloom. Today, I'm going to (SINGING) take you higher.
MOLLY BLOOM: And here to judge it all is Knowledge from Hot Springs, Arkansas. Knowledge is currently pro-Charlie Puth, formerly anti-Snuffleupagus, and now a singer and dancer for Kidz Bop. Hi, Knowledge!
KNOWLEDGE: Hi!
MOLLY BLOOM: So Knowledge, I am very honored to have one of the Kidz Bop kids here today. In case people aren't familiar, can you describe what Kidz Bop is?
KNOWLEDGE: So we take all the adult versions of top hits. And we make it friendly for kids.
MOLLY BLOOM: That's awesome. And I hear a new Kidz Bop album just dropped. So please tell us, what's it called? And do you have a favorite song on the album?
KNOWLEDGE: OK, so it's called Kidz Bop 2023. And I'm debating between About That Time and STAR WALKIN'. But I'm pretty sure it's About That Time.
MOLLY BLOOM: So would you be willing to sing us a line or two from that song?
KNOWLEDGE: Sure. (SINGING) Turned up the music, turn down the lights. I got a feeling I'm going to be all right! OK, all right, it's about that time!
MOLLY BLOOM: I love it. Thank you, Lizzo. Thank you Lizzo for bringing this song to us. And thank you, Knowledge.
RYAN PEREZ: Lizzo and Knowledge-- now we have to follow that!
MOLLY BLOOM: I know. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Well, before we get into this debate, it's time to review the rules of the game. Round one is the Declaration of Greatness, where our debaters present fact-filled arguments in favor of their side. And they each have 30 seconds to rebut their opponent's statements. Then we've got the micro-round, where each team will present a creative response to a prompt they received in advance.
Round three is the Sneak Attack, where our debaters will have to respond to an improv challenge on the spot. And to wrap it all up, we've got the Final Six, where each team will have just six words to sum up the glory of their side. Our judge Knowledge will award two points in the first round, one for his favorite rebuttal, the other for the declaration he liked best.
Then he'll award one point in each round after that. But he'll keep his decisions top secret until the end of the debate. Listeners, we want you to judge, too. Mark down your points as you listen. At the end of the show, head to our website, smashboom.org. And vote for whichever team you think won. OK, Ryan, Sam, and Knowledge, are you ready?
KNOWLEDGE: Yeah!
SAM SUKSIRI: Ay-ay.
RYAN PEREZ: You betcha!
MOLLY BLOOM: Then it's time for the--
CREW: Declaration of Greatness!
MOLLY BLOOM: We flipped a coin. And Sam, you're up first. Tell us why diving deserves to be Smash Boom Best?
SAM SUKSIRI: The world we know is loud, rushed, angry, and stinky.
[POLICE SIRENS BLARING]
But there is another world, peaceful and mysterious, hidden just below the surface. How do you get there? Scuba diving!
[SPLASH]
[WHALE SOUNDS]
Scuba stands for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus-- self-contained, meaning you are completely free to move around, no hoses, underwater meaning, well, underwater, and breathing apparatus, meaning the thingy that lets you breathe, which brings up argument one. Scuba has the coolest gear.
Q: Going for a dive, sir?
SAM SUKSIRI: That's right, Q.
Q: These goggles are equipped with the latest in anti-fogging technology, ensuring an unimpeded view of the wonders of the ocean around you. Flippers increase your swimming efficiency. Now, please pay attention. This next part is very important.
Your oxygen tank, that's pressurized to 3,000 pounds per square inch. That's just regular air that's been squeezed into a much smaller space, which is why the pressure is so high. If you try to breathe directly from the tank, it would not go well.
SAM SUKSIRI: Then how do I breathe?
Q: This is your regulator. It's a mouthpiece that regulates the amount of high pressure air that moves from the tank into a lower pressure area so that you can breathe safely.
[BREATHING NOISES]
SAM SUKSIRI: Thanks, Q. Using gear like this is super fun. And it makes you seem super capable and super cool. And it only takes a little training.
RYAN HOFFMAN: Hi, my name is Ryan Hoffman. And I am a scuba diving course director instructor, trainer.
SAM SUKSIRI: Ryan teaches scuba in places like the Caribbean, the Galapagos, the Red Sea, and Fiji. And if that sounds like a total blast, that's because it is.
RYAN HOFFMAN: Scuba diving will change how you experience the planet. Every place you travel, everywhere you go, you're going to wonder, well, what does the underwater part of this planet look like?
SAM SUKSIRI: And unlike skydiving where you have to be 18, kids as young as 10 can learn to scuba. Ryan says when you're down in the water with all your gear on, it blocks out the noise of the world. Your body hovers in the water. And you feel at peace.
RYAN HOFFMAN: It can give you a sense of calm and meditation. It gives you a chance to reflect on your own thoughts, on your own breath.
SAM SUKSIRI: So not only can you discover creatures underwater. You can also discover, yourself? What does skydiving sound like again?
[SCREAMING]
Yeah, real calm. But if you are looking for an underwater adventure, Ryan suggests checking out a shipwreck.
RYAN HOFFMAN: Oh, that's so much fun. It's like you're playing a video game almost, swimming around, exploring all the different crevices to see what hidden bonuses the shipwreck has for you. One time, I was diving a shipwreck at 130 feet. And in the distance, I could see a fish the size of a car. And that was a Goliath grouper. And I looked at that and was kind of blown away.
SAM SUKSIRI: And that brings me to my final point. There's just so much to see when you scuba. No matter where you dive, you'll be our guest as you're transported to a whole new world just below the surface pressure, bringing only the bare necessities.
And everything else, let it go because you are under the sea. There's coral reefs and colorful fish and ancient ruins, and not so colorful fish-- octopuses, kelp forests, 20 million tons of dissolved gold. The sky is the same all over, but not the water.
RYAN HOFFMAN: There's a really great quote that says, "going to the ocean and staring at the surface is like going to the circus and staring at the outside of the tent." Come inside the tent.
SAM SUKSIRI: I can't wait to explore the underwater circus and see the clownfish and the sea lions and the trapeze-- sardines?
RYAN HOFFMAN: I'm sure that's a thing.
SAM SUKSIRI: Scuba can be adventurous or meditative. You can do it all over the world. And you can start at a young age. So what are you waiting for? Let's get going because scuba diving is the Splash Boom Best.
[SPLASH]
MOLLY BLOOM: Excellent, an argument with real depth there. Knowledge, what stood out to you about Sam's declaration of greatness?
KNOWLEDGE: I mean, what really stood out was that kids are able to learn how to scuba dive at 10 at a young age.
MOLLY BLOOM: Very good point. All right, Ryan, it's time for your rebuttal. You've got 30 seconds to tell us why everything's not better down where it's wetter under the sea. And your time starts now.
RYAN PEREZ: OK, I think, Sam, you made a good argument. But here's the thing. When I'm on vacation, what do I want to do on vacation, go down and look at a ship that sunk a long time ago? To me, that sounds a little bit depressing. And I'm going to tell you something else. You had a very good argument.
But there were two words you didn't mention, the bends-- the bends, decompression sickness. That's a real thing. And I think you got to account for it. And a third thing is-- Knowledge, you should know this, too. If you go see that Avatar movie, Way of Water, you're going to think that there's a lot of fish out there.
MOLLY BLOOM: And, time!
RYAN PEREZ: Oh, shoot!
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, it's your turn, Ryan. Tell us why skydiving is top tier.
RYAN PEREZ: Look, up in the sky! Is it a bird?
MOLLY BLOOM: Is it a plane? No, no, no, it's Superman!
RYAN PEREZ: Wrong, wrong, wrong. All three of you are wrong. It's a skydiver, who's cooler than a bird, plane, and Superman combined. Skydiving is one of the greatest thrills known to man. And it's been around longer than you'd think. In 1797, the first parachute jump was attempted by the Frenchman, Andre-Jacques Garnerin, who must have sounded out of his mind when he said--
Aha, I'm going to jump out of that balloon with only a silk cloth to slow my rapid descent.
MOLLY BLOOM: Good luck, Andre. It was nice knowing you!
RYAN PEREZ: Spoiler alert, it worked! And it kicked off the most extreme of extreme sports. If you think skydiving is just falling through the air, it's time you take your head out of the metaphorical clouds and put them in the literal clouds of the sky. Since the actual freefall part of a sky jump is typically under 60 seconds, I'm going to impart the skydiving basics in the time it would take me between jumping out of a plane and pulling my chute-- one, two, geronimo!
Most skydivers perform their jumps between a height of 10,000 and 18,000 feet. That's like falling the distance of 10 to 12 Empire State buildings back to back. They fall fast, too, usually reaching speeds of around 120 miles per hour, about double the speed limit of cars on the highway. But some skydivers have clocked speeds as fast as 330 miles per hour if they put their heads down. During the freefall, skydivers can move like acrobats, spinning, spinning, and shifting their bodies to catch the wind in certain ways.
Skydiving also looks incredibly cool. So it tends to show up in a lot of movies like Mission Impossible: Fallout. Though in that movie, Tom Cruise is doing this special kind of skydiving called HALO, or high altitude low opening, which you need extra special Navy SEAL training for. But I guess Tom did the training because he's super committed to entertaining us. Man, I love Tom Cruise. You kids probably aren't old enough to watch Jerry Maguire yet. But that's another good one. "Show me the money," classic line. I just love-- [SCREAMS]
But incredible jumps aren't just for the silver screen. In 2012, a man named Felix Baumgartner broke records when he jumped from about 24 miles above the Earth's surface, six times higher than that of a normal skydive. He was nearly halfway to outer space. And on his way down, he broke the sound barrier. That means he was falling faster than it takes for the sound of this podcast to get from your listening device to your ears. Oh, and one more thing--
[DRUMMING]
Ten hut! Did you know that skydivers helped the Allied forces beat the Nazis in World War II? It turns out that the fastest and most covert way to get soldiers or supplies from point a to point b is to throw them out of a plane. It's called para-trooping. And even dogs did it to help with dangerous tasks like sniffing out landmines. These doggies went into action on June 6, 1944, D-Day. One very brave dog named Bing landed in a tree and had to stay there until he could get rescued the next morning.
Bing was later wounded in action but recovered and was awarded the Dickin Medal, which is sort of like the Medal of Honor if you're British and a dog. And maybe we should all try to be more like Bing. And I don't mean Bing the search engine. I mean Bing the skydiving dog because no soldier ever won a war by searching the internet. They won it by skydiving. And if I have anything to do with it, skydiving is going to win me this Smash Boom Best debate here today. At ease, soldiers!
MOLLY BLOOM: Wow, a fast-moving, fast-talking declaration of greatness there. I'm wondering, Knowledge, what stood out to you about Ryan's argument?
KNOWLEDGE: I mean, it shows up a lot in movies. But also, skydiving was is used in the army, para-trooping. So that really stood out.
MOLLY BLOOM: Very cool. All right, it's time for your rebuttal, Sam. You've got 30 seconds to sink Ryan's argument. And your time starts now.
SAM SUKSIRI: Well, the bottom's just going to fall out of that thing faster than a skydiver. Oh, and speaking of falling, you know two words you forgot to mention? Terminal velocity. The gravity pulls things at the rate of 9.8 meters per second. And once you reach that speed, you're not going any faster. So yeah, you might dive for a little bit.
But after that, you're just sitting there in freefall-- no acceleration. It's just going to be the same thing for the rest of those precious few 50 to 60 seconds. And another thing, movies make it look like-- speaking of Avatar, it makes it look like you're flying around on a banshee. But you're not really!
MOLLY BLOOM: And time! What is it about Avatar?
RYAN PEREZ: Neither of us got our Avatar points out. Give us just 30 more seconds just to talk about Avatar, please!
SAM SUKSIRI: You could use Avatar for any debate.
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, Knowledge, it's time to award some points. We want you to give one point to the Declaration of Greatness that you liked best and one point to the most legendary rebuttal. You get to decide what makes a winning argument. Did one team's jokes win you over, or were you swayed by their killer logic? Award your points. But don't tell us who they're going to. Have you made your decision?
KNOWLEDGE: Yes.
[BELL DINGS]
MOLLY BLOOM: Wonderful. All right, Ryan and Sam, how are you two feeling so far?
SAM SUKSIRI: Exhilarated.
RYAN PEREZ: I'm not going to lie. I feel-- I'm in trouble. I don't think I'm making a very good argument!
MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHS]
SAM SUKSIRI: Oh no, you need your backup shoot.
MOLLY BLOOM: Well, it's time to take a break, wiggle your flippers or somersault through the skies. And we'll be right back with more Smash Boom Best.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
CREW: You're watching State of Debate, home to raging rhetoric and awe-inspiring argumentation.
TAYLOR LINCOLN: What's up, debateacs? Taylor Lincoln sitting ringside with my buffed out bestie, Todd Douglas.
TODD DOUGLAS: Hey, Taylor.
TAYLOR LINCOLN: So Todd, want to explain those turquoise tights, shiny white boots, and-- is that a cape?
TODD DOUGLAS: Well, I am fed up with all the fallacies I hear at debates. And I've been brainstorming some new ways to call them out.
TAYLOR LINCOLN: Oh, I get it! You're going to wrestle with the fallacies. Are you sure that's going to work?
TODD DOUGLAS: Well, I do already have a name, Tremendous Todd.
TAYLOR LINCOLN: Ooh, impressive. Have you had any bouts yet?
TODD DOUGLAS: Yeah, I was able to apply a sleeper hold on an appeal to authority fallacy.
TAYLOR LINCOLN: That's when you don't question something just because an authority or expert believes it or supports it.
TODD DOUGLAS: Time to get in the ring.
[RINGING]
JACKIE: And in this corner, Shark Stetson, a menace to everybody on land or in the sea. Good people of Wrestle World Sensation, do you know what the Shark does when he isn't unleashing his patented four fin fold of doom against opponents?
SUBJECT 1: Little help? I'm stuck like a pretzel.
JACKIE: Shark Stetson loves to cruise up and down the highway in his slick red convertible.
SHARK STETSON: You've said it, Jackie. I love my car. And I love to treat it right. And that's why I only use the Whammy Shammy when I'm giving this beauty a wash!
SUBJECT 1: How'd that car get here?
SHARK STETSON: Nothing drives a wet car like the Whammy Shammy!
SUBJECT 1: It's just an expensive towel. They all work the same.
JACKIE: Whammy Shammy, the best shammy out there. Take it from the Shark. And if the shark says it, it must be true!
[BUZZER SOUNDS]
TAYLOR LINCOLN: Oh no, Jackie, just because the Shark likes to use a Whammy Shammy doesn't mean it's the best towel out there.
TODD DOUGLAS: That fallacy really gets my cape in a twist. Oh, hold me back, Taylor!
TAYLOR LINCOLN: Easy, Tremendous Todd, easy. Maybe it's time to tap out.
TODD DOUGLAS: Good call. I got to shine up my sequined boots first anyway. We'll see you next time on State of Debate!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
CREW: Smash Boom Best.
MOLLY BLOOM: You're listening to Smash Boom Best. I'm your host, Molly Bloom.
KNOWLEDGE: And I'm your judge, Knowledge.
MOLLY BLOOM: And we love getting debate suggestions from our listeners. Check out this dancing debate from Nola.
NOLA: My Smash Boom Best debate idea is ballet versus hip hop.
KNOWLEDGE: I think this calls for a dance off.
MOLLY BLOOM: Absolutely. We'll check back with Nola at the end of this episode to see which side she thinks should win.
KNOWLEDGE: And now, it's back to today's debate, scuba diving versus skydiving.
MOLLY BLOOM: That's right. And it's time for round two, the micro-round. Today's micro-round challenge is called Infomercial. Sam and Ryan, we want you to sell us your side, infomercial style. Will there be dramatic testimonials, live demonstrations, a two for one deal? Let's hear all about your limited time offers. Sam went first last time. So Ryan, you're up. Make us a deal that's sky high.
CREW: The following micro-round is a paid program and does not reflect the views of Smash Boom Best.
That windy sound you hear is me and my intrepid studio audience in a skydiving freefall-- the ground rushing toward us. On the count of three, let's pull our chute, shall we? One, two, three! Welcome to skydiving, the safe sport. I'm your host, Rick Popon. And I know what you're thinking. I've always wanted to skydive. It's number one on my bucket list after actually reading a book from start to finish. But jumping out of a plane seems terribly frightful.
Well, what if I told you that statistically speaking, skydiving is an incredibly safe activity? In fact, if you crunch the numbers, it's much safer than driving and significantly safer than scuba in part because the gear is made with back-up safety measures. Like, say you lose consciousness mid-air and are unable to deploy your own parachute. Most parachutes are equipped with a small computer that monitors a skydiver's altitude and opens up a backup parachute if needed. I got one on my little pack.
SUBJECT 2: I got to get one, too.
SUBJECT 3: Me too!
RYAN PEREZ: Don't worry. There's enough for everyone, probably. In the meantime, sit back, relax, and take in this majestic skyline view with the assurance that you are all but certain to land on your feet.
[APPLAUSE]
MOLLY BLOOM: Wow, I'm calling. I'm ordering right this minute.
RYAN PEREZ: How did they get that guy? I used to watch that guy at 3:00 AM!
SAM SUKSIRI: I know we're not supposed to do a rebuttal. But I just want to say, so many things are more dangerous than driving. Driving is not safe! I bet if you took the statistics of chainsaw jugglers versus drivers, there's more fatalities for drivers than chainsaw jugglers.
RYAN PEREZ: Now, that's true. That's true, yeah.
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, Sam, it's your turn. Tell us why we should speed dial for scuba.
SAM SUKSIRI: How many times has this happened to you? You're trying to study a new species of fish underwater. But after just a few seconds, you keep having to come up to the surface for air. There has to be a better way! Hello, I'm world renowned oceanographer, environmentalist, and documentary filmmaker, Jacques Cousteau.
I helped change how we see the ocean by inventing the Aqualung, the world's first self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. I made it back in the 1940s with my friend, Emile Gagnon. But I can't wait to show you our latest invention. Introducing, the Aqua Stomach!
MOLLY BLOOM: Wow!
SAM SUKSIRI: With the Aqualung, divers can spend a long time discovering the mysteries of the deep. That can really work up an appetite. But there's never been a way to eat underwater, until now!
SUBJECT 4: How does it work?
SAM SUKSIRI: This tank is filled with clam chowder, pressurized to 3,000 pounds per square inch. Then the patented Aqua Stomach Regulator delivers a steady stream of soup directly into the diver's mouth.
SUBJECT 4: It's so rich and creamy!
SAM SUKSIRI: It's soup you can breathe! Available in clam chowder, tomato bisque, and for a limited time, Andalusian gazpacho. Remember, if you're not eating out of a tube from a pressurized tank--
MOLLY BLOOM: You're not really eating! [LAUGHS] I love an activity that includes snacks. So I am on board. All right, Knowledge, what did you like about Ryan and Sam's micro-rounds?
KNOWLEDGE: OK, so I mean, I like the fact that skydiving is safer than driving but also that the parachutes have a computer that monitor the altitude if you pass out. So that's cool. And then for Sam, you can spend a while discovering since the oxygen tanks-- but then also, it has snacks in it. So we can eat. So--
MOLLY BLOOM: Yeah, there's no reason to come up. You got oxygen. You got food. What else do you need?
RYAN PEREZ: You have clam chowder, the most delicious of all snacks.
SAM SUKSIRI: You can be studying clams while eating clam chowder.
RYAN PEREZ: Yeah, the clam's like, that's my uncle!
SAM SUKSIRI: Oh, you go so dark!
MOLLY BLOOM: Knowledge, it's time to award a point. But don't tell us who it's going to. Again, the criteria is completely up to you. Did someone make you laugh? Did someone pitch you something that you want to purchase? Again, decision is yours. Have you decided?
KNOWLEDGE: Yes.
[BELL RINGS]
MOLLY BLOOM: Fantastic, then it's time for our third round, the super stealthy Sneak Attack. Your Sneak Attack is called by any other name. Let's pretend the side you're arguing for didn't have a name. We'd like you to come up with three alternative names for that thing.
For example, if you were arguing in favor of donuts, you might rename them, I don't know, something like jelly pouches or cake rings. Or how about glazed and amused? OK, Ryan went first last time. So Sam, you're up. We're going to go back and forth, going one at a time, all right? So let's start with your first scuba synonym.
SAM SUKSIRI: All right, it's for exploring underneath the water. This gives you immense power to explore the kingdom of the ocean. So it's called the Poseidon Pack.
MOLLY BLOOM: Excellent. All right, Ryan, let's hear your first name for skydiving.
RYAN PEREZ: If you're in the sky, you're also in the clouds. And you're sort of taking a journey through a kind of mapped space that you don't really see when you look at a map of the world. So I'm going to call mine Cloud Atlas.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, excellent! All right, Sam, name number two for scuba.
SAM SUKSIRI: OK, well, this lets you explore the deep, again. So I'm just going to call it Avatar II: The Way of Water.
RYAN PEREZ: Oh, no, you got to it first!
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, Ryan, name number two for skydiving.
RYAN PEREZ: You know how there's sports, regular sports? Basketball, baseball. Skydiving is such a cool sport, I'm going to call it Sports II: The Adventure Continues.
[LAUGHTER]
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, Sam, you're up-- your last name.
SAM SUKSIRI: All right, last name-- this is going to be the best one. When you are scuba diving, you have access to an account of oxygen that lets you breathe underwater. So this is called your oxygen savings account. And when you're scuba diving, you do not want to go broke.
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, Ryan, final name for skydiving.
RYAN PEREZ: Like I said, people think that it's falling. But it's not really-- it's not really falling because you've got to be alert, you know? So I'm going to call it-- you know what it is? It's really like intelligent falling.
MOLLY BLOOM: Nicely done, both of you. OK, Knowledge, think about which side impressed you the most. And award your fourth point. But don't tell us who it's going to. Again, criteria up to you. Could you hear one of these names catching on? Did they make you laugh? Did they make you learn? Have you made your decision?
KNOWLEDGE: Yes.
MOLLY BLOOM: Perfect, then it's time for our final round, the Final Six. All right, Ryan, you've got six words to sum up the spectacle of skydiving.
RYAN PEREZ: This is tough. How do you encapsulate the whole sky into six words? This is what I would say, Knowledge. So cool, I don't skydive.
MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHS] All right, Sam, it's your last chance to make a splash for team scuba. Let's hear your Final Six.
SAM SUKSIRI: So I spent a long time going back and forth on this because SCUBA is an acronym. And I wasn't sure if that counts for multiple words or not. Well, to be fair, we're going to spell it out, all right? So SCUBA stands for-- SCUBA is self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. That's five words. So here we go-- self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, good.
[LAUGHTER]
MOLLY BLOOM: Nicely done, both of you. All right, Knowledge, time to award your final point for the Final Six. Have you made your decision?
KNOWLEDGE: Yes.
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, so tally up those points.
KNOWLEDGE: OK, I'm ready, I'm ready.
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, drum roll, please. And the winner is--
KNOWLEDGE: Scuba diving.
RYAN PEREZ: Thar she blows! Way to burst my bubble, dude.
SAM SUKSIRI: Oh boy, pull the rip cord on that.
MOLLY BLOOM: So Knowledge, was there a moment that really decided things for you? What pushed it over the edge for scuba?
KNOWLEDGE: I think it was really when Sam was just giving out names for it. And it was like-- the names he gave out was really funny, like Avatar II: The Way of Water.
SAM SUKSIRI: I can't say credit for Avatar II: The Way of Water. I think somebody else came up with that.
MOLLY BLOOM: I've never heard of that before.
KNOWLEDGE: Definitely not.
RYAN PEREZ: Sam, you fought a great battle here today on behalf of scuba. Personally, if I was going to relax, I wouldn't want a ton of water pressing down onto my head. But you made a great argument for it, particularly what you said about the fish. That's what scuba has on skydiving is you don't get to see this great array of fish. I would encourage everybody to go and learn more about our aquatic sea life. It's the Earth's greatest treasure, some people say.
SAM SUKSIRI: So Ryan, I really loved learning a lot about skydiving because yeah, it seems like it's something very few do, the elite, the brave, the movie stars doing incredible stunts, and our servicemen and women who work as paratroopers.
MOLLY BLOOM: Lovely. And that is it for today's debate battle. Knowledge crowned scuba diving the Smash Boom Best. But what about you?
KNOWLEDGE: Head to smashboom.org and vote to tell us who you think won.
MOLLY BLOOM: Smash Boom Best is brought to you by Brains On and APM Studios.
RYAN PEREZ: It's produced by Molly Bloom, Rosie DuPont, Ruby Guthrie, and Aron Woldeslassie.
MOLLY BLOOM: We have engineering help from Michael Osborne and Derek Ramirez, with sound design by Rosie DuPont.
SAM SUKSIRI: Our editors are Shahla Farzan and Sanden Totten.
RYAN PEREZ: And we had production help from Anna Goldfield, Mark Sanchez, Anna Weggel, and Nico Gonzalez Wisler.
MOLLY BLOOM: Our executive producer is Beth Pearlman. And the APM Studios executives in charge are Chandra Kavati, Alex Schaffert, and Joanne Griffith. Our announcer is Marley Feuerwerker-Otto. And we want to give a special thanks to Austin Kross, Taylor Kaufman, Andy Doucette, Euan Kerr, and Stewie Bloom. Sam, is there anyone you'd like to give a special shout out to today?
SAM SUKSIRI: Yeah, I really want to thank Ryan Hoffman, the scuba diver instructor who told us some amazing firsthand accounts about the wonders of the ocean and scuba diving.
MOLLY BLOOM: Awesome. And how about you, Ryan, any special shout-outs?
RYAN PEREZ: I'd like to thank the wonderful editors here at Smash Boom Best. They really help you make a coherent argument-- my Million Bazillion co-host, Bridget Bonner, and also Francis Ford Coppola, who wrote the screenplay for Patton and from whom I stole a bit of dialogue here today. Francis, good luck on Megalopolis. I believe in you.
MOLLY BLOOM: And Knowledge, do you want to give any special thanks or shout-outs today?
KNOWLEDGE: I mean, I want to give a shout out to all the people that let me come on and be a judge because it's so much fun.
MOLLY BLOOM: We thank you for coming on and being a judge, Knowledge. You do an awesome job. Before we go, let's check in with Nola about her ballet versus hip hop dance battle.
NOLA: I think ballet should win because ballet can help you do lots of different styles of dance. If you have the technique, then you can get the harder, more difficult steps down.
MOLLY BLOOM: She makes a point. Do you have an idea for a knockdown, drag out debate? Head to smashboom.org and tell us about it. We'll be back with a new debate battle next week.
SAM SUKSIRI: Adios!
RYAN PEREZ: Have a nice day! Later, skater.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Oh, you're the smash, boom, best. Oh, put you through the test. Oh, you're the smash, boom, best. Oh, better than the rest. It's the smash boom best. It's the smash boom best.
KNOWLEDGE: (SINGING) In a minute, I'mma need a sentimental man or woman to pump me up. Feeling fussy, walking in my Balenciagas, trying to bring out the fabulous.
SAM SUKSIRI: Yeah.
RYAN PEREZ: Wow!
MOLLY BLOOM: Yay!
RYAN PEREZ: Great!
KNOWLEDGE: The show for people with big opinions.
MOLLY BLOOM: Hi, I'm Molly Bloom. And this is Smash Boom Best, the show where we take two things, smash them together, and ask you to decide which one is best. Today's debate is going to be a thrill-seeking thrash. One side challenges you to dive deep into the unknown.
The other asks you to soar the skies. Both require a great leap of faith and a whole lot of nerve. Get ready to take the plunge because it's scuba diving versus skydiving. We've got comedy writer and the LEGO master model builder Sam Suksiri here to rep team scuba diving.
SAM SUKSIRI: I am over-prepared to talk about how amazing it is under the water.
MOLLY BLOOM: And writer, actor, and co-host of the podcast, Million Bazillion, Ryan Perez, here to defend skydiving.
RYAN PEREZ: Thanks, Molly Bloom. Today, I'm going to (SINGING) take you higher.
MOLLY BLOOM: And here to judge it all is Knowledge from Hot Springs, Arkansas. Knowledge is currently pro-Charlie Puth, formerly anti-Snuffleupagus, and now a singer and dancer for Kidz Bop. Hi, Knowledge!
KNOWLEDGE: Hi!
MOLLY BLOOM: So Knowledge, I am very honored to have one of the Kidz Bop kids here today. In case people aren't familiar, can you describe what Kidz Bop is?
KNOWLEDGE: So we take all the adult versions of top hits. And we make it friendly for kids.
MOLLY BLOOM: That's awesome. And I hear a new Kidz Bop album just dropped. So please tell us, what's it called? And do you have a favorite song on the album?
KNOWLEDGE: OK, so it's called Kidz Bop 2023. And I'm debating between About That Time and STAR WALKIN'. But I'm pretty sure it's About That Time.
MOLLY BLOOM: So would you be willing to sing us a line or two from that song?
KNOWLEDGE: Sure. (SINGING) Turned up the music, turn down the lights. I got a feeling I'm going to be all right! OK, all right, it's about that time!
MOLLY BLOOM: I love it. Thank you, Lizzo. Thank you Lizzo for bringing this song to us. And thank you, Knowledge.
RYAN PEREZ: Lizzo and Knowledge-- now we have to follow that!
MOLLY BLOOM: I know. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Well, before we get into this debate, it's time to review the rules of the game. Round one is the Declaration of Greatness, where our debaters present fact-filled arguments in favor of their side. And they each have 30 seconds to rebut their opponent's statements. Then we've got the micro-round, where each team will present a creative response to a prompt they received in advance.
Round three is the Sneak Attack, where our debaters will have to respond to an improv challenge on the spot. And to wrap it all up, we've got the Final Six, where each team will have just six words to sum up the glory of their side. Our judge Knowledge will award two points in the first round, one for his favorite rebuttal, the other for the declaration he liked best.
Then he'll award one point in each round after that. But he'll keep his decisions top secret until the end of the debate. Listeners, we want you to judge, too. Mark down your points as you listen. At the end of the show, head to our website, smashboom.org. And vote for whichever team you think won. OK, Ryan, Sam, and Knowledge, are you ready?
KNOWLEDGE: Yeah!
SAM SUKSIRI: Ay-ay.
RYAN PEREZ: You betcha!
MOLLY BLOOM: Then it's time for the--
CREW: Declaration of Greatness!
MOLLY BLOOM: We flipped a coin. And Sam, you're up first. Tell us why diving deserves to be Smash Boom Best?
SAM SUKSIRI: The world we know is loud, rushed, angry, and stinky.
[POLICE SIRENS BLARING]
But there is another world, peaceful and mysterious, hidden just below the surface. How do you get there? Scuba diving!
[SPLASH]
[WHALE SOUNDS]
Scuba stands for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus-- self-contained, meaning you are completely free to move around, no hoses, underwater meaning, well, underwater, and breathing apparatus, meaning the thingy that lets you breathe, which brings up argument one. Scuba has the coolest gear.
Q: Going for a dive, sir?
SAM SUKSIRI: That's right, Q.
Q: These goggles are equipped with the latest in anti-fogging technology, ensuring an unimpeded view of the wonders of the ocean around you. Flippers increase your swimming efficiency. Now, please pay attention. This next part is very important.
Your oxygen tank, that's pressurized to 3,000 pounds per square inch. That's just regular air that's been squeezed into a much smaller space, which is why the pressure is so high. If you try to breathe directly from the tank, it would not go well.
SAM SUKSIRI: Then how do I breathe?
Q: This is your regulator. It's a mouthpiece that regulates the amount of high pressure air that moves from the tank into a lower pressure area so that you can breathe safely.
[BREATHING NOISES]
SAM SUKSIRI: Thanks, Q. Using gear like this is super fun. And it makes you seem super capable and super cool. And it only takes a little training.
RYAN HOFFMAN: Hi, my name is Ryan Hoffman. And I am a scuba diving course director instructor, trainer.
SAM SUKSIRI: Ryan teaches scuba in places like the Caribbean, the Galapagos, the Red Sea, and Fiji. And if that sounds like a total blast, that's because it is.
RYAN HOFFMAN: Scuba diving will change how you experience the planet. Every place you travel, everywhere you go, you're going to wonder, well, what does the underwater part of this planet look like?
SAM SUKSIRI: And unlike skydiving where you have to be 18, kids as young as 10 can learn to scuba. Ryan says when you're down in the water with all your gear on, it blocks out the noise of the world. Your body hovers in the water. And you feel at peace.
RYAN HOFFMAN: It can give you a sense of calm and meditation. It gives you a chance to reflect on your own thoughts, on your own breath.
SAM SUKSIRI: So not only can you discover creatures underwater. You can also discover, yourself? What does skydiving sound like again?
[SCREAMING]
Yeah, real calm. But if you are looking for an underwater adventure, Ryan suggests checking out a shipwreck.
RYAN HOFFMAN: Oh, that's so much fun. It's like you're playing a video game almost, swimming around, exploring all the different crevices to see what hidden bonuses the shipwreck has for you. One time, I was diving a shipwreck at 130 feet. And in the distance, I could see a fish the size of a car. And that was a Goliath grouper. And I looked at that and was kind of blown away.
SAM SUKSIRI: And that brings me to my final point. There's just so much to see when you scuba. No matter where you dive, you'll be our guest as you're transported to a whole new world just below the surface pressure, bringing only the bare necessities.
And everything else, let it go because you are under the sea. There's coral reefs and colorful fish and ancient ruins, and not so colorful fish-- octopuses, kelp forests, 20 million tons of dissolved gold. The sky is the same all over, but not the water.
RYAN HOFFMAN: There's a really great quote that says, "going to the ocean and staring at the surface is like going to the circus and staring at the outside of the tent." Come inside the tent.
SAM SUKSIRI: I can't wait to explore the underwater circus and see the clownfish and the sea lions and the trapeze-- sardines?
RYAN HOFFMAN: I'm sure that's a thing.
SAM SUKSIRI: Scuba can be adventurous or meditative. You can do it all over the world. And you can start at a young age. So what are you waiting for? Let's get going because scuba diving is the Splash Boom Best.
[SPLASH]
MOLLY BLOOM: Excellent, an argument with real depth there. Knowledge, what stood out to you about Sam's declaration of greatness?
KNOWLEDGE: I mean, what really stood out was that kids are able to learn how to scuba dive at 10 at a young age.
MOLLY BLOOM: Very good point. All right, Ryan, it's time for your rebuttal. You've got 30 seconds to tell us why everything's not better down where it's wetter under the sea. And your time starts now.
RYAN PEREZ: OK, I think, Sam, you made a good argument. But here's the thing. When I'm on vacation, what do I want to do on vacation, go down and look at a ship that sunk a long time ago? To me, that sounds a little bit depressing. And I'm going to tell you something else. You had a very good argument.
But there were two words you didn't mention, the bends-- the bends, decompression sickness. That's a real thing. And I think you got to account for it. And a third thing is-- Knowledge, you should know this, too. If you go see that Avatar movie, Way of Water, you're going to think that there's a lot of fish out there.
MOLLY BLOOM: And, time!
RYAN PEREZ: Oh, shoot!
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, it's your turn, Ryan. Tell us why skydiving is top tier.
RYAN PEREZ: Look, up in the sky! Is it a bird?
MOLLY BLOOM: Is it a plane? No, no, no, it's Superman!
RYAN PEREZ: Wrong, wrong, wrong. All three of you are wrong. It's a skydiver, who's cooler than a bird, plane, and Superman combined. Skydiving is one of the greatest thrills known to man. And it's been around longer than you'd think. In 1797, the first parachute jump was attempted by the Frenchman, Andre-Jacques Garnerin, who must have sounded out of his mind when he said--
Aha, I'm going to jump out of that balloon with only a silk cloth to slow my rapid descent.
MOLLY BLOOM: Good luck, Andre. It was nice knowing you!
RYAN PEREZ: Spoiler alert, it worked! And it kicked off the most extreme of extreme sports. If you think skydiving is just falling through the air, it's time you take your head out of the metaphorical clouds and put them in the literal clouds of the sky. Since the actual freefall part of a sky jump is typically under 60 seconds, I'm going to impart the skydiving basics in the time it would take me between jumping out of a plane and pulling my chute-- one, two, geronimo!
Most skydivers perform their jumps between a height of 10,000 and 18,000 feet. That's like falling the distance of 10 to 12 Empire State buildings back to back. They fall fast, too, usually reaching speeds of around 120 miles per hour, about double the speed limit of cars on the highway. But some skydivers have clocked speeds as fast as 330 miles per hour if they put their heads down. During the freefall, skydivers can move like acrobats, spinning, spinning, and shifting their bodies to catch the wind in certain ways.
Skydiving also looks incredibly cool. So it tends to show up in a lot of movies like Mission Impossible: Fallout. Though in that movie, Tom Cruise is doing this special kind of skydiving called HALO, or high altitude low opening, which you need extra special Navy SEAL training for. But I guess Tom did the training because he's super committed to entertaining us. Man, I love Tom Cruise. You kids probably aren't old enough to watch Jerry Maguire yet. But that's another good one. "Show me the money," classic line. I just love-- [SCREAMS]
But incredible jumps aren't just for the silver screen. In 2012, a man named Felix Baumgartner broke records when he jumped from about 24 miles above the Earth's surface, six times higher than that of a normal skydive. He was nearly halfway to outer space. And on his way down, he broke the sound barrier. That means he was falling faster than it takes for the sound of this podcast to get from your listening device to your ears. Oh, and one more thing--
[DRUMMING]
Ten hut! Did you know that skydivers helped the Allied forces beat the Nazis in World War II? It turns out that the fastest and most covert way to get soldiers or supplies from point a to point b is to throw them out of a plane. It's called para-trooping. And even dogs did it to help with dangerous tasks like sniffing out landmines. These doggies went into action on June 6, 1944, D-Day. One very brave dog named Bing landed in a tree and had to stay there until he could get rescued the next morning.
Bing was later wounded in action but recovered and was awarded the Dickin Medal, which is sort of like the Medal of Honor if you're British and a dog. And maybe we should all try to be more like Bing. And I don't mean Bing the search engine. I mean Bing the skydiving dog because no soldier ever won a war by searching the internet. They won it by skydiving. And if I have anything to do with it, skydiving is going to win me this Smash Boom Best debate here today. At ease, soldiers!
MOLLY BLOOM: Wow, a fast-moving, fast-talking declaration of greatness there. I'm wondering, Knowledge, what stood out to you about Ryan's argument?
KNOWLEDGE: I mean, it shows up a lot in movies. But also, skydiving was is used in the army, para-trooping. So that really stood out.
MOLLY BLOOM: Very cool. All right, it's time for your rebuttal, Sam. You've got 30 seconds to sink Ryan's argument. And your time starts now.
SAM SUKSIRI: Well, the bottom's just going to fall out of that thing faster than a skydiver. Oh, and speaking of falling, you know two words you forgot to mention? Terminal velocity. The gravity pulls things at the rate of 9.8 meters per second. And once you reach that speed, you're not going any faster. So yeah, you might dive for a little bit.
But after that, you're just sitting there in freefall-- no acceleration. It's just going to be the same thing for the rest of those precious few 50 to 60 seconds. And another thing, movies make it look like-- speaking of Avatar, it makes it look like you're flying around on a banshee. But you're not really!
MOLLY BLOOM: And time! What is it about Avatar?
RYAN PEREZ: Neither of us got our Avatar points out. Give us just 30 more seconds just to talk about Avatar, please!
SAM SUKSIRI: You could use Avatar for any debate.
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, Knowledge, it's time to award some points. We want you to give one point to the Declaration of Greatness that you liked best and one point to the most legendary rebuttal. You get to decide what makes a winning argument. Did one team's jokes win you over, or were you swayed by their killer logic? Award your points. But don't tell us who they're going to. Have you made your decision?
KNOWLEDGE: Yes.
[BELL DINGS]
MOLLY BLOOM: Wonderful. All right, Ryan and Sam, how are you two feeling so far?
SAM SUKSIRI: Exhilarated.
RYAN PEREZ: I'm not going to lie. I feel-- I'm in trouble. I don't think I'm making a very good argument!
MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHS]
SAM SUKSIRI: Oh no, you need your backup shoot.
MOLLY BLOOM: Well, it's time to take a break, wiggle your flippers or somersault through the skies. And we'll be right back with more Smash Boom Best.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
CREW: You're watching State of Debate, home to raging rhetoric and awe-inspiring argumentation.
TAYLOR LINCOLN: What's up, debateacs? Taylor Lincoln sitting ringside with my buffed out bestie, Todd Douglas.
TODD DOUGLAS: Hey, Taylor.
TAYLOR LINCOLN: So Todd, want to explain those turquoise tights, shiny white boots, and-- is that a cape?
TODD DOUGLAS: Well, I am fed up with all the fallacies I hear at debates. And I've been brainstorming some new ways to call them out.
TAYLOR LINCOLN: Oh, I get it! You're going to wrestle with the fallacies. Are you sure that's going to work?
TODD DOUGLAS: Well, I do already have a name, Tremendous Todd.
TAYLOR LINCOLN: Ooh, impressive. Have you had any bouts yet?
TODD DOUGLAS: Yeah, I was able to apply a sleeper hold on an appeal to authority fallacy.
TAYLOR LINCOLN: That's when you don't question something just because an authority or expert believes it or supports it.
TODD DOUGLAS: Time to get in the ring.
[RINGING]
JACKIE: And in this corner, Shark Stetson, a menace to everybody on land or in the sea. Good people of Wrestle World Sensation, do you know what the Shark does when he isn't unleashing his patented four fin fold of doom against opponents?
SUBJECT 1: Little help? I'm stuck like a pretzel.
JACKIE: Shark Stetson loves to cruise up and down the highway in his slick red convertible.
SHARK STETSON: You've said it, Jackie. I love my car. And I love to treat it right. And that's why I only use the Whammy Shammy when I'm giving this beauty a wash!
SUBJECT 1: How'd that car get here?
SHARK STETSON: Nothing drives a wet car like the Whammy Shammy!
SUBJECT 1: It's just an expensive towel. They all work the same.
JACKIE: Whammy Shammy, the best shammy out there. Take it from the Shark. And if the shark says it, it must be true!
[BUZZER SOUNDS]
TAYLOR LINCOLN: Oh no, Jackie, just because the Shark likes to use a Whammy Shammy doesn't mean it's the best towel out there.
TODD DOUGLAS: That fallacy really gets my cape in a twist. Oh, hold me back, Taylor!
TAYLOR LINCOLN: Easy, Tremendous Todd, easy. Maybe it's time to tap out.
TODD DOUGLAS: Good call. I got to shine up my sequined boots first anyway. We'll see you next time on State of Debate!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
CREW: Smash Boom Best.
MOLLY BLOOM: You're listening to Smash Boom Best. I'm your host, Molly Bloom.
KNOWLEDGE: And I'm your judge, Knowledge.
MOLLY BLOOM: And we love getting debate suggestions from our listeners. Check out this dancing debate from Nola.
NOLA: My Smash Boom Best debate idea is ballet versus hip hop.
KNOWLEDGE: I think this calls for a dance off.
MOLLY BLOOM: Absolutely. We'll check back with Nola at the end of this episode to see which side she thinks should win.
KNOWLEDGE: And now, it's back to today's debate, scuba diving versus skydiving.
MOLLY BLOOM: That's right. And it's time for round two, the micro-round. Today's micro-round challenge is called Infomercial. Sam and Ryan, we want you to sell us your side, infomercial style. Will there be dramatic testimonials, live demonstrations, a two for one deal? Let's hear all about your limited time offers. Sam went first last time. So Ryan, you're up. Make us a deal that's sky high.
CREW: The following micro-round is a paid program and does not reflect the views of Smash Boom Best.
That windy sound you hear is me and my intrepid studio audience in a skydiving freefall-- the ground rushing toward us. On the count of three, let's pull our chute, shall we? One, two, three! Welcome to skydiving, the safe sport. I'm your host, Rick Popon. And I know what you're thinking. I've always wanted to skydive. It's number one on my bucket list after actually reading a book from start to finish. But jumping out of a plane seems terribly frightful.
Well, what if I told you that statistically speaking, skydiving is an incredibly safe activity? In fact, if you crunch the numbers, it's much safer than driving and significantly safer than scuba in part because the gear is made with back-up safety measures. Like, say you lose consciousness mid-air and are unable to deploy your own parachute. Most parachutes are equipped with a small computer that monitors a skydiver's altitude and opens up a backup parachute if needed. I got one on my little pack.
SUBJECT 2: I got to get one, too.
SUBJECT 3: Me too!
RYAN PEREZ: Don't worry. There's enough for everyone, probably. In the meantime, sit back, relax, and take in this majestic skyline view with the assurance that you are all but certain to land on your feet.
[APPLAUSE]
MOLLY BLOOM: Wow, I'm calling. I'm ordering right this minute.
RYAN PEREZ: How did they get that guy? I used to watch that guy at 3:00 AM!
SAM SUKSIRI: I know we're not supposed to do a rebuttal. But I just want to say, so many things are more dangerous than driving. Driving is not safe! I bet if you took the statistics of chainsaw jugglers versus drivers, there's more fatalities for drivers than chainsaw jugglers.
RYAN PEREZ: Now, that's true. That's true, yeah.
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, Sam, it's your turn. Tell us why we should speed dial for scuba.
SAM SUKSIRI: How many times has this happened to you? You're trying to study a new species of fish underwater. But after just a few seconds, you keep having to come up to the surface for air. There has to be a better way! Hello, I'm world renowned oceanographer, environmentalist, and documentary filmmaker, Jacques Cousteau.
I helped change how we see the ocean by inventing the Aqualung, the world's first self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. I made it back in the 1940s with my friend, Emile Gagnon. But I can't wait to show you our latest invention. Introducing, the Aqua Stomach!
MOLLY BLOOM: Wow!
SAM SUKSIRI: With the Aqualung, divers can spend a long time discovering the mysteries of the deep. That can really work up an appetite. But there's never been a way to eat underwater, until now!
SUBJECT 4: How does it work?
SAM SUKSIRI: This tank is filled with clam chowder, pressurized to 3,000 pounds per square inch. Then the patented Aqua Stomach Regulator delivers a steady stream of soup directly into the diver's mouth.
SUBJECT 4: It's so rich and creamy!
SAM SUKSIRI: It's soup you can breathe! Available in clam chowder, tomato bisque, and for a limited time, Andalusian gazpacho. Remember, if you're not eating out of a tube from a pressurized tank--
MOLLY BLOOM: You're not really eating! [LAUGHS] I love an activity that includes snacks. So I am on board. All right, Knowledge, what did you like about Ryan and Sam's micro-rounds?
KNOWLEDGE: OK, so I mean, I like the fact that skydiving is safer than driving but also that the parachutes have a computer that monitor the altitude if you pass out. So that's cool. And then for Sam, you can spend a while discovering since the oxygen tanks-- but then also, it has snacks in it. So we can eat. So--
MOLLY BLOOM: Yeah, there's no reason to come up. You got oxygen. You got food. What else do you need?
RYAN PEREZ: You have clam chowder, the most delicious of all snacks.
SAM SUKSIRI: You can be studying clams while eating clam chowder.
RYAN PEREZ: Yeah, the clam's like, that's my uncle!
SAM SUKSIRI: Oh, you go so dark!
MOLLY BLOOM: Knowledge, it's time to award a point. But don't tell us who it's going to. Again, the criteria is completely up to you. Did someone make you laugh? Did someone pitch you something that you want to purchase? Again, decision is yours. Have you decided?
KNOWLEDGE: Yes.
[BELL RINGS]
MOLLY BLOOM: Fantastic, then it's time for our third round, the super stealthy Sneak Attack. Your Sneak Attack is called by any other name. Let's pretend the side you're arguing for didn't have a name. We'd like you to come up with three alternative names for that thing.
For example, if you were arguing in favor of donuts, you might rename them, I don't know, something like jelly pouches or cake rings. Or how about glazed and amused? OK, Ryan went first last time. So Sam, you're up. We're going to go back and forth, going one at a time, all right? So let's start with your first scuba synonym.
SAM SUKSIRI: All right, it's for exploring underneath the water. This gives you immense power to explore the kingdom of the ocean. So it's called the Poseidon Pack.
MOLLY BLOOM: Excellent. All right, Ryan, let's hear your first name for skydiving.
RYAN PEREZ: If you're in the sky, you're also in the clouds. And you're sort of taking a journey through a kind of mapped space that you don't really see when you look at a map of the world. So I'm going to call mine Cloud Atlas.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, excellent! All right, Sam, name number two for scuba.
SAM SUKSIRI: OK, well, this lets you explore the deep, again. So I'm just going to call it Avatar II: The Way of Water.
RYAN PEREZ: Oh, no, you got to it first!
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, Ryan, name number two for skydiving.
RYAN PEREZ: You know how there's sports, regular sports? Basketball, baseball. Skydiving is such a cool sport, I'm going to call it Sports II: The Adventure Continues.
[LAUGHTER]
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, Sam, you're up-- your last name.
SAM SUKSIRI: All right, last name-- this is going to be the best one. When you are scuba diving, you have access to an account of oxygen that lets you breathe underwater. So this is called your oxygen savings account. And when you're scuba diving, you do not want to go broke.
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, Ryan, final name for skydiving.
RYAN PEREZ: Like I said, people think that it's falling. But it's not really-- it's not really falling because you've got to be alert, you know? So I'm going to call it-- you know what it is? It's really like intelligent falling.
MOLLY BLOOM: Nicely done, both of you. OK, Knowledge, think about which side impressed you the most. And award your fourth point. But don't tell us who it's going to. Again, criteria up to you. Could you hear one of these names catching on? Did they make you laugh? Did they make you learn? Have you made your decision?
KNOWLEDGE: Yes.
MOLLY BLOOM: Perfect, then it's time for our final round, the Final Six. All right, Ryan, you've got six words to sum up the spectacle of skydiving.
RYAN PEREZ: This is tough. How do you encapsulate the whole sky into six words? This is what I would say, Knowledge. So cool, I don't skydive.
MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHS] All right, Sam, it's your last chance to make a splash for team scuba. Let's hear your Final Six.
SAM SUKSIRI: So I spent a long time going back and forth on this because SCUBA is an acronym. And I wasn't sure if that counts for multiple words or not. Well, to be fair, we're going to spell it out, all right? So SCUBA stands for-- SCUBA is self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. That's five words. So here we go-- self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, good.
[LAUGHTER]
MOLLY BLOOM: Nicely done, both of you. All right, Knowledge, time to award your final point for the Final Six. Have you made your decision?
KNOWLEDGE: Yes.
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, so tally up those points.
KNOWLEDGE: OK, I'm ready, I'm ready.
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, drum roll, please. And the winner is--
KNOWLEDGE: Scuba diving.
RYAN PEREZ: Thar she blows! Way to burst my bubble, dude.
SAM SUKSIRI: Oh boy, pull the rip cord on that.
MOLLY BLOOM: So Knowledge, was there a moment that really decided things for you? What pushed it over the edge for scuba?
KNOWLEDGE: I think it was really when Sam was just giving out names for it. And it was like-- the names he gave out was really funny, like Avatar II: The Way of Water.
SAM SUKSIRI: I can't say credit for Avatar II: The Way of Water. I think somebody else came up with that.
MOLLY BLOOM: I've never heard of that before.
KNOWLEDGE: Definitely not.
RYAN PEREZ: Sam, you fought a great battle here today on behalf of scuba. Personally, if I was going to relax, I wouldn't want a ton of water pressing down onto my head. But you made a great argument for it, particularly what you said about the fish. That's what scuba has on skydiving is you don't get to see this great array of fish. I would encourage everybody to go and learn more about our aquatic sea life. It's the Earth's greatest treasure, some people say.
SAM SUKSIRI: So Ryan, I really loved learning a lot about skydiving because yeah, it seems like it's something very few do, the elite, the brave, the movie stars doing incredible stunts, and our servicemen and women who work as paratroopers.
MOLLY BLOOM: Lovely. And that is it for today's debate battle. Knowledge crowned scuba diving the Smash Boom Best. But what about you?
KNOWLEDGE: Head to smashboom.org and vote to tell us who you think won.
MOLLY BLOOM: Smash Boom Best is brought to you by Brains On and APM Studios.
RYAN PEREZ: It's produced by Molly Bloom, Rosie DuPont, Ruby Guthrie, and Aron Woldeslassie.
MOLLY BLOOM: We have engineering help from Michael Osborne and Derek Ramirez, with sound design by Rosie DuPont.
SAM SUKSIRI: Our editors are Shahla Farzan and Sanden Totten.
RYAN PEREZ: And we had production help from Anna Goldfield, Mark Sanchez, Anna Weggel, and Nico Gonzalez Wisler.
MOLLY BLOOM: Our executive producer is Beth Pearlman. And the APM Studios executives in charge are Chandra Kavati, Alex Schaffert, and Joanne Griffith. Our announcer is Marley Feuerwerker-Otto. And we want to give a special thanks to Austin Kross, Taylor Kaufman, Andy Doucette, Euan Kerr, and Stewie Bloom. Sam, is there anyone you'd like to give a special shout out to today?
SAM SUKSIRI: Yeah, I really want to thank Ryan Hoffman, the scuba diver instructor who told us some amazing firsthand accounts about the wonders of the ocean and scuba diving.
MOLLY BLOOM: Awesome. And how about you, Ryan, any special shout-outs?
RYAN PEREZ: I'd like to thank the wonderful editors here at Smash Boom Best. They really help you make a coherent argument-- my Million Bazillion co-host, Bridget Bonner, and also Francis Ford Coppola, who wrote the screenplay for Patton and from whom I stole a bit of dialogue here today. Francis, good luck on Megalopolis. I believe in you.
MOLLY BLOOM: And Knowledge, do you want to give any special thanks or shout-outs today?
KNOWLEDGE: I mean, I want to give a shout out to all the people that let me come on and be a judge because it's so much fun.
MOLLY BLOOM: We thank you for coming on and being a judge, Knowledge. You do an awesome job. Before we go, let's check in with Nola about her ballet versus hip hop dance battle.
NOLA: I think ballet should win because ballet can help you do lots of different styles of dance. If you have the technique, then you can get the harder, more difficult steps down.
MOLLY BLOOM: She makes a point. Do you have an idea for a knockdown, drag out debate? Head to smashboom.org and tell us about it. We'll be back with a new debate battle next week.
SAM SUKSIRI: Adios!
RYAN PEREZ: Have a nice day! Later, skater.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Oh, you're the smash, boom, best. Oh, put you through the test. Oh, you're the smash, boom, best. Oh, better than the rest. It's the smash boom best. It's the smash boom best.
KNOWLEDGE: (SINGING) In a minute, I'mma need a sentimental man or woman to pump me up. Feeling fussy, walking in my Balenciagas, trying to bring out the fabulous.
SAM SUKSIRI: Yeah.
RYAN PEREZ: Wow!
MOLLY BLOOM: Yay!
RYAN PEREZ: Great!
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