Ice Cream vs French Fries - transcript
This is a transcript of our episode “Ice Cream vs French Fries
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Announcer: From the brains behind brains on its Smash Boom Best.
Kimtee: The show is for people with big opinions.
Molly: I'm your host, Molly Bloom, and you're listening to Smash Boom Best. The show where we take two things, smash them together, and ask you to decide which one is best. We've got a tasty debate for you today. It's ice cream versus french fries. This is going to be a tough one for everybody because let's face it, we all scream for ice cream and we freak out over french fries. These two treats could not be more delicious. Here to make some difficult decisions is our Judge Kimtee. Hello, Kimtee.
Kimtee: Hello.
Molly: Thank you for being here. Kimtee just to start off, I'd like to know. Do you love ice cream?
Kimtee: Yes, I love ice cream. It's so good.
Molly: What is your favorite flavor?
Kimtee: Probably just straight-up vanilla.
Molly: Classic. Do you do toppings?
Kimtee: I'm going through like a chocolate and caramel phase, I think that just tastes really good right now. Most likely chocolate and caramel.
Molly: Are we a cup or a cone?
Kimtee: A cone. Cones just tastes really good.
Molly: It's crunchy, it goes so well with the ice cream. Then when you eat down all the way to the bottom of the cone, you have the little baby cone.
Kimtee: I know it's so cute.
Molly: What about french fries? Do you like french fries?
Kimtee: Of course. French fries is always a staple. So good.
Molly: Do you have a place you like to get french fries from or do you make them at home, frozen ones?
Kimtee: My mom actually makes them, so I like my mom's ones the best.
Molly: That is amazing to live with a french fry cook, sign me up.
Molly: For sure.
Kimtee: Kimtee, do you ever get into debates about food?
Kimtee: Yes. With my sister.
Molly: Can you remember any of the topics you've debated?
Kimtee: Oh, it's usually like someone's cooking versus someone else's. I don't know in Bengali culture, food is such a main thing that we talk about. We'll compare like cooking's from different aunties that we have, or like maybe our mom's versus our dad's. It's just really fun to talk about food and see what we like and don't like.
Molly: I see you're very familiar with judging food.
Kimtee: Yeah, somewhat.
Molly: Excellent. Let's get our debaters in here. Today, defending team ice cream. We have Tommy McNamara. Hi, Tommy.
Tommy: Hello. I'm so excited to be here.
Molly: Tommy, in just one sentence. Why is ice cream the most awesome?
Tommy: Look, the moment that ice cream hits your tongue, you are instantly transported to a sweet, creamy flavor heaven. Where the clouds are made of whipped cream and the angels are also made of whipped cream.
(laughs)
Molly: Oh man, we're all going to come out of this hungry today, I know.
Kimtee: Yes.
Molly: Well, now let's meet Tommy's very fierce opponent, here to rep team french fries, it's Brittany Carney. Hi, Brittany.
Brittany: Hi, hello.
Molly: Brittany, in a single sentence, tell us why french fries are the most fabulous.
Brittany: They are crunchy, salty, satisfying, and eclectic. Few people on this planet I know for a fact deny french fries, unless they're specifically allergic to potatoes. That's still maybe a relatively small fraction.
Molly: (laughs) Perfect. Before we get started, let's review the rounds of debate. Our debaters will compete in four high octane rounds of debate. Our judge Kimtee will award points to the winner of each round. We'll start with the Declaration of Greatness, where each debater has to present the coolest facts and stories about their side. Each team will also have 30 seconds to make a rebuttal, to poke holes in their opponent's declaration.
Then it's the Micro Round. A creative challenge of both debaters have prepared for in advance. Then we've got the Sneak Attack, a surprise challenge to keep our debaters on their toes. Last but not least the Final 6, where both sides have just six words to win our judge over. Kimtee, will award points as we go, but she won't reveal the tally or the winner until the end of the debate. All right, Kimtee, you have two points to award this round. One for the best Declaration of Greatness and one for the best rebuttal. Are you ready?
Kimtee: Yes, I am,
Molly: Awesome. Brittany and Tommy, are you ready?
Brittany: Yes.
Tommy: Oh, yes.
Molly: Excellent. Then it's time for the Declaration of Greatness. Our debaters have come armed with the coolest facts, history, and arguments. We flipped a coin and Tommy you're up first, give us the scoop. Why is ice cream, the coolest treat of them all?
Tommy: It’s the hottest day of August. You’re playing catch outside. You’re sweaty and sunburned and exhausted, not to mention hungry. But then, as if sent from heaven above, you hear a sound. Is that? Could it be? (Ice cream truck jingle plays) It is! The greatest sound of summer, the ice cream truck! You run as fast as you can to sweet, sugary, salvation.
And that’s how you go from desert to DESSERT.
If you love sweet frozen treats you are not alone. Americans eat 1.6 BILLION gallons of ice cream each year. That’s more than 23 pounds per person! Some people eat more than others though. Like Miki Sudo from Las Vegas, who set the world record by eating 16 pints of vanilla in six minutes. I can’t even imagine the brain freeze.
The story of ice cream is a story of innovation. The frozen delicacy has been around in various forms for centuries. In medieval times, in Arabic countries like Egypt and Turkey, people drank a form of sherbert, made from fruit juices, sugar, water, and ice. Even further back, emperors of the Tang Dynasty in China in the 10th century drank a frozen milk treat. And even FURTHER back, cavemen used to hunt and gather for banana splits...ok I made that one up.
The first known consumption of ice cream as we know it took place in England in 1671, when King Charles II served it at a feast. Legend has it that the king paid the ice cream maker a yearly fee to keep the recipe a secret. Luckily, the secret got out and it spread across Europe and eventually made its way to America.
Ice cream was a favorite of the founding fathers! George Washington kept massive quantities of it around and the first recipe for ice cream in America was actually written by Thomas Jefferson! That explains the first draft of the Declaration of Independence:
John Hancock: Thomas, before I sign this could I ask you about the opening paragraph?
Thomas Jefferson: Why yes, John Hancock, what seems to be the issue?
John Hancock: Ok so it says, “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to mix two bottles of cream, a half pound of sugar, a block of ice…”
Thomas Jefferson: Sorry I got a bit distracted. Is anyone else hungry?
John Hancock: Plus it looks like there’s a chocolate stain on this...hey where’d he go? He went to get ice cream didn’t he?
How did ice cream get out of the White House and into YOUR house? That would be thanks to Augustus Jackson. He was the White House cook under president James Madison in the early 1800s. Once he left the White House he brought the recipe for ice cream to Philadelphia, where he opened up his own confectionary and brought it to the people. He was known as the man who invented ice cream, and that is pretty sweet. There have been countless inventions in the world of ice cream over the years.
In 1904, the ice cream cone was created so visitors at the World's Fair in St. Louis could walk the grounds without putting down their desert. And in the 1920s - a man named Harry Burt invented both the good humor bar AND the ice cream truck! At this point you might be thinking, ok I want to close my history book, and open up a pint of the good stuff. But what flavor?
My favorites are classics like mint chocolate chip and strawberry, but ice cream makers have been extremely creative over the years. Baskin Robbins once tried to make ketchup flavored ice cream. There’s an ice cream shop in Minneapolis that sells a garlic flavored ice cream. In London, there’s even glow-in-the-dark JELLYFISH ice cream that costs $225 per scoop. I’m gonna stick with Mint Chocolate Chip. The amount of options is beautiful. How many flavors of french fries are there? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
No matter the flavor, ice cream makes you feel better, and that’s a scientific fact. Ice cream contains L-tryptophan, which acts as a natural tranquilizer to help you de-stress. Eating ice cream also creates a feeling of nostalgia, reminding people of happy times in their childhood, like birthdays and summer vacations. It is so effective as a comfort food that Americans even used it to help soldiers feel better in World War II. In 1945, the US Navy spent a million dollars to turn an old barge into a floating ice cream factory to give soldiers a taste of home. Talk about a root beer float!
So. Whether you’re going through a breakup or fighting for the country, ice cream will give you that warm, joyful feeling you need. As the old saying goes, “you can’t buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream, and that’s pretty much the same thing.”
Look, I can give you facts and figures until the dairy cows come home, but I don’t need to. Ice cream speaks for itself. One scoop or two, cup or cone, banana split or pint in your freezer, we all scream for ice cream. The only time people scream with french fries is when they burn the roof of their mouth.
Molly: Team Ice Cream playing it ice cold. What did you think of that Declaration of Greatness. Kimtee, what stood out to you about Tommy's argument?
Tommy: Well, first of all, I love the imaginary elements, but it also had a lot of fun facts and just details embedded within there. I felt like it was very motivating.
Molly: All right. Well, it's time to let Brittany riff in her 30 second rebuttal and Brittany your time starts now.
Brittany: Tommy talked about how ice cream inherently has more flavors than French fries. Actually, I just don't think that's true because you could have like truffle, you can have seaweed flakes, you could have gravy, you can have just potato, you can have salt. What brings life to just salt as a flavor, better than a french fry? Also…um…
Molly: And time. I really want to know what you were going to say.
Brittany: Likewise.
(laughter)
Molly: Well, Brittany, it's time to dip into some salty facts. Tell us why are fries the tastiest snack in the world.
Brittany: The argument for French Fries is less an argument than a love story.
(CRUNCH)
Mmmm… (through full mouth) In fact, here is a poem I actually just wrote for these waffle fries I’m eating right now! (clears throat) An Ode to the Frite --
O the French Fry, light but oily
Crisp as Grandma’s Easter doily
Sometimes doughy, sometimes airy
I call the tall ones Uncle Gary
A touch of salt to tickle taste buds
Never overwhelm these deep fried spuds
Shareable and pairable, they aim to please
Perfect with broccoli and grilled cheese!
O the French Fry! Oh so versatile
Brings to my stone cold face a smile…
(CRUNCH, Mmmmm)
(through full mouth) I wish I could give you a taste of these fries right now... (gulp) one bite, and you’d be rushing to mark down all five points for Team Fry! But I can’t apparate in a flash, I’m a Hufflepuff, so let me explain in the plainest of terms why French Fries are PROFOUNDLY superior to ice cream.
First of all, French Fries don't beg for your attention; they claim it effortlessly. They’re like the French people, cool and well-dressed. And by that I mean there are a ton of ways to dress up your fries. Ketchup. Curry ketchup. Barbecue sauce. Mustard. Mayo, if you’re a disgrace to society. Sriracha, teriyaki glaze, and malt vinegar. Maybe not all at the same time but also, do you! Who doesn’t love something that looks and tastes great?
But before I lean any further into this “French Fries are like French people metaphor,” let me make one thing very clear. FRENCH FRIES MIGHT NOT ACTUALLY BE FRENCH.
GUY: WHAT?!
I know, I know. You feel deceived. But hear me out. The Belgians claim the French Fry was invented in Belgium in the late 1600s along the River Meuse. The French claim the first French Fry was first sold by pushcart vendors in Paris in the late 1700s. And some say the French Fry might actually be Spanish, because they were the first Europeans to encounter the potato in the South American Andes -- and the Spanish love frying their food.
Fries are so deeply and universally beloved, everyone wants to claim them as their own.
Including me. I have made fries. Sort of. I once stabbed a raw potato with a knife and left it in the sun.
But not all fries are created equal. As celebrity chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay once said,
BOBBY FLAY: “The proper way to cook a perfect French Fry is not an easy task.”
Brittany: Nothing could be more true. Thomas Jefferson famously introduced America to the French Fry in 1802, when he had them served at the White House -- but it was another 150 years before French Fries came into their own on American soil. The French Fry innovator behind it all? Roy Kroc! The first CEO of McDonald’s! He recognized the power of the potato, and partnered with an Idaho potato entrepreneur to make McDonald’s fries fabulous. Their trick? They pre-fried and freezed their product to make sure they stayed the perfect golden hue.
Fries come in crispy shoestring. They come in wedges. They come in curlie-wurlies. They come as smushed crinkle worms. They come as waffles! They are shape-shifters but never shifty. Fries come to you in many forms but their steadfast, starchy core never wavers.
That is unless the manufacturer of your favorite French Fry decides to switch up the recipe and use a different potato. Listen to what happened when the fast food chain Nathan’s decided to use different spuds to make their fries.
NEWS CLIP: “There is a tempest over the taters, as aficionados of the french fry decry Nathan’s decision to use different potatoes to make their iconic crinkle-cuts. Bob Camp who heard the news on 1010 Wins feels betrayed. ‘It’s not appropriate for Nathan’s to do something of that nature. They just shouldn’t sell potatoes at all.’”
Brittany: The passion! Fries do that to you because they are that good! Would anyone care if Baskin Robbins changed their milk supply? Would anyone even notice? No! And it’s not limited to potato quality alone -- people have their allegiances to cut and curl! In 2013, Shake Shack shifted away from their top-selling crinkle-cut fries to a hand-cut variety, and their patrons rebelled. According to Twitter user Megan Kelly -- not the news anchor -- just a regular fry loving person:
MEGAN KELLY: The greatest tragedy of the last few years was when Shake Shack changed their fries.
Brittany: Not sure I agree with you, Megan -- but okay! The point has been made. FRIES ARE THE KEY TO PEOPLE’S HEARTS!
(CRUNCH, Mmmm)
Including mine. I think I feel another Ode coming on…
Molly: A poetic tribute to french fries. Kimtee, what was your favorite part of Brittany’s argument?
Kimtee: I really love the storyline to it. The little poem that was going on in the first part, that was really fascinating. I really thought it was really funny, especially when she mentioned Uncle Gary. Overall, I thought that was really fun.
Molly: All right, Tommy, I know you have some things you want to share. It's time for your rebuttal. You have 30 seconds and your time starts now.
Tommy: Look, you had to write your own poem for French fries, ice cream already has a poem. I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. We all know it, we didn't even have to write it. Half your argument was listing things to dip fries in, look, you can put toppings on ice cream, but you don't need them. Okay? Try vanilla ice cream versus a plain French fry, I know what you're going to choose. Also, Nathan's is a hot dog place and people love the hot dogs there. McDonald's, people love the burgers, the fries are always second fiddle. Ice cream, Baskin-Robbins, that's the main course, even though it is a dessert. I still think the point stands and also--
(laughter)
Molly: And time. Kimtee you've heard the declaration of greatness, you've heard the rebuttals, and now it's time to make your decision. You have two points to reward. Give a point to the debater who you think had the strongest declaration of greatness, and then award a second point to the debater who wowed you with their rebuttal. Listeners at home, grab a sheet of paper and award your own two points. Kimtee, have you made your decision?
Kimtee: Yes, I think I have.
Molly: Well, excellent. That is a wrap on our first round. Debaters, how are you feeling right about now?
Brittany: Oh, amped-up.
Tommy: I think someone left Brittany's fries in the fryer too long, because she just got burned.
(laughter)
Molly: Well, we're going to take a quick break, but we'll be right back
Kimtee: …with more Smash Boom Best.
(Music)
Taylor Lincoln: Taylor Lincoln here with 566-time debate champ, Todd Douglas.
Todd Douglas: Hi, Taylor. We've got a special guest with us here today. My mom, Sherry.
Sherry: Oh, hi everybody.
Todd: Mom, we've got some pretty great tape to play for you today. Last night, Taylor recorded a guy having an argument with his trash can.
Sherry: Oh jeez. How funny.
Todd: Yes, it's pretty hilarious. The trashcan wanted him to take the garbage out, but the guy didn't want to.
Sherry: Oh, wow.
Todd: Yeah. Let's take a listen, roll tape.
Trashcan: I stink. Would you take the trash out of me and put it in the big bin? A can can only take so much.
Man: I'm busy can man. Deal with it.
Trashcan: I was built to deal with it guy, but this isn't about me, it's about you. Imagine what your mother would think if she walked through that door and smelled me.
Man: Who cares about my mother?
Trashcan: You do guy, you do. Every time she calls, you smile and laugh a lot. Remember that time she came over for Labor Day, you made her favorite jello salad and cleaned from top to bottom.
Man: Yes, that's true, but I just took out the trash two days ago. You don't smell that bad.
Trashcan: I do smell terribly. My bag is brimming and I'm starting to attract flies. Do you want to disappoint your mother by living in squalor? Or do you want to be the clean and responsible son she's always dreamed of having?
Todd: The trashcan is really leaning into a debate technique that we like to call the emotional hook.
Taylor: Yes! In addition to facts and expert opinions, it's important to appeal to your audience's feelings.
Todd: The trash can used the guy's love for his mother to motivate him to take out the trash. Would have worked on me.
Sherry: Oh, Todd, you're so very sweet.
Todd: Well, I love you mom.
Sherry: I love you too, sweetie.
Taylor: But did the can man's technique work on Guy? Let's find out.
Man: I miss my mom.
Trashcan: Imagine how proud she'd be to see you taking out the trash.
Man: I guess, I guess she would be (crying).
Taylor: Remember debate-heads -- no debate is complete without facts and expert opinions, but a good emotional hook can take you a looonnnnng way.
Todd: So pay attention to everybody’s feelings! Especially your Mom’s! And we’ll catch you next time on…
All: State of Debate!
(music)
Molly: You're listening to Smash Boom Best. I'm your host, Molly Bloom.
Kimtee: I am Kimtee, and I'm judging today's debate.
Molly: We love getting debate ideas from our listeners-
Kimtee: -like this one.
Antonio: My debate idea is cruises versus camping.
Molly: That was Antonio from Oakville, Ontario in Canada.
Kimtee: A vacation debate, nice. I'd like to listen to that.
Molly: We'll hear from Antonio again at the end of the show to hear who he thinks should win.
Kimtee: Now, it's back to our delectable debate between Team French Fry.
Brittany: Hello.
Molly: And, Team Ice Cream.
Tommy: Woo!
Molly: It's time for our debaters to take the stage in our second round, the-
Voice: Micro Round.
Molly: Today's Micro Round challenge is called International Holiday. Tommy and Brittany, both invented an international holiday devoted to their side. They're going to tell us all about their special day. Tommy went first last time, so Brittany, you're up. Let's hear all about this new holiday for french fries.
Brittany: I seek to raise awareness for a holiday known as Fete de Sizzle Tuber. Sizzle Tuber falls on the raddest Friday of each October--the metric for which is determined annually by the International Ministry of French Fries Yearly Association Movement Society, IMOFFYAMS. Why October? Because french fries are crisp like its air, brown like its leaves, and encourage mischief like Halloween.
On Sizzle Tuber Day we don’t just eat French Fries, we also wear them in an intricately woven crown. In Ohio, people dress the crowns in ketchup, in Ghana with peanut sauce, and in Transylvania, with blood (which is actually just water, gelatin, and beet juice--it’s a highly plant-based society despite popular perception).
There are Tuber day contests, too. Each year in Osaka, Japan, residents compete to make the crispiest fry. The judges test the fries’ crispiness by using them to flatten origami folds, weave an elderly sheep’s wool, and sharpen a knife. In 1986 local resident Mr. Tanaka shaved off his left eyebrow with his own fry, and he remains the festival champion.
Sizzle Tuber day ends upon the strike of midnight, when observers far and wide remove their french fry basket hats and lie them ever-so-gingerly--not to wake the Yam Beasties--long story--into a compost bin. The fries then melt and mold into the compost slop in preparation for next year’s Sizzle Tuber Day.
Molly: I’m not penciling in Sizzle Tuber Day, I’m writing it in with permanent marker because that sounds amazing, Kimtee, what did you think?
Kimtee: Well, Day seems very interesting. I really want to see what else it has to offer, but so far, I'm very intrigued.
Molly: Let's finish this round with a little dessert. Tommy, let's hear all about the new holiday for Team Ice Cream.
Tommy: We Americans love ice cream so much that in 1984 President Ronald Reagan created National Ice Cream Day. But as president now, in this great year 2032, I have decided that ONE ICE CREAM HOLIDAY IS NOT ENOUGH.
(Crowd goes wild)
Going forward, the day before National Ice Cream Day will hereby be known as NATIONAL ICE CREAM DAY EVE.
On National Ice Cream Day Eve there will be milkshake stands on every street corner! Water fountains will be filled with chocolate syrup! Scoops will rain from the sky in little parachutes.
Then, just before bedtime, every person shall leave a cup or a cone out in their kitchen, and I, the president, will go to every home and fill them with your favorite flavor. That way on National Ice Cream Day everyone gets to wake up with ice cream for breakfast! How will I do this you ask? Using the transportation machine technology that was invented in 2029!
To commemorate the occasion, I have written the first National Ice Cream Day Eve Carol, and it goes, a little something, like this:
National Ice Cream Day Eve
Is the best day of the year
It makes us all believe
In joy again so we cheer,
Chocolate, vanilla, or rocky road
So much ice cream I think I might explode,
Too good to be real it feels like a dream,
It’s the eve of the day of Ice Cream.
(crowd cheers)
I’ll take one scoop.
Molly: Wow. No wonder Tommy was elected president in 2028. He sings, he plays piano, he makes tasty holidays, incredible. Kimtee, what did you think of Ice Cream Day?
Kimtee: First of all, I really loved the concept of singing, the singing was my favorite part. I loved that, and it was really entertaining to me, and it really brought a smile to my heart.
Brittany: You do have a very presidential energy.
(laughter)
Brittany: So much so that, if you backed ice cream on an agenda right up, I think you could convince me if it were a tough year.
Molly: All right. Well, it's time to think about everything you heard in this round. It's time to award a point. All you Smash Boom Besties listening at home, give your point too. Have you made your decision, Kimtee?
Kimtee: Yes, I have.
Molly: Excellent, now, it's time for the most surprising of rounds, the-
Voice: Sneak Attack.
Molly: Your challenge is superhero. Brittany and Tommy, if your side was a superhero, what would your name and superpower be? How would they use their power to help people? We'll give you two, a minute to think, while we listen to some lovely old music.
Hold music: Strawberry, chocolate, butter pecan, I love ice cream, I'm an ice cream stan, cups or cones, I will eat it all. Salty French fries are deep fried fun. Dip them in mayo or ketchup, yum. Crinkle cutter waffle, wow, they make the meal.
Molly: Okay, Tommy is up first this time around. Let's hear about your ice cream superhero.
Tommy: The ice cream superhero is known as Scooperman. Scooperman has a scoop of ice cream for a head, a candy-coated cape, and he flies in a waffle cone plane. Whenever people are in trouble, he gives them a scoop of ice cream. It may not solve the problem but at least now, they have ice cream. His only weakness is that he melts in the sun, which is a bit of an issue, but hey, don't we love Scooperman? We do.
(laughter)
Molly: Nicely done. Scooperman can come to the rescue in very specific places and times. Brittany, let's hear about your french fry hero.
Brittany: Frida, the spud girl, Frida is strong and stunning as an anthropomorphized french fry, but has the power to transform in to multiple potato forms. Like mashed potatoes to move through sewers or actual potatoes to burrow through the ground or baked skins to slide between laser beam alarms. One of her main powers is that, she is a stellar cultural diplomat. She has the capacity to spark some insight into whoever she's speaking to globally and find out what they like, what their palate wants.
(laughter)
Molly: Excellent, so Frida, a shape-shifting spud who can use the power of diplomacy. I love it. All right, Kimtee, it's time to award a point. Use whatever criteria you'd like to judge. Was it the delivery, the ideas, the superpowers? Listeners at home, you award a point as well. Okay, Kimtee, have you decided?
Kimtee: Yes, I have decided.
Molly: All right, you've awarded four points and you've got just one left. It's time for our last round, the Final Six. All right, you've got just one point left to award, but first, let's check in with our debaters. Tommy, Brittany, how are you feeling?
Brittany: I'm feeling focused. I'm not here to make friends. I'm not cloying like word ice cream.
Tommy: I'm feeling fresh out of the freezer. I'm feeling cool. Cool as an ice cream cone.
(laughter)
Molly: Okay. Brittany and Tommy have just six words to sway Kimtee. Brittany, you're up first.
Brittany: Fries can keep in your pocket.
(laughter)
Molly: All right. Tommy, what is your six-word statement in support of ice cream?
Tommy: Perfection with a cherry on top.
Molly: This is a tough call. Kimtee, the moment has come. Take a minute to mull over your final point. Have you made your decision?
Kimtee: Yes, I have.
Molly Bloom: Take a look at your points, tally them up. Drum roll, please. Kimtee, who won today's debate?
Kimtee: Ice cream has won.
Tommy: Woo!
Brittany: Congratulations, Tommy.
Tommy: Thank you (laughs). Brittany, was so great, the poem, I loved so much and the declaration, I thought it was so funny. Your word choice was really amazing.
(laughter)
Tommy: I think you said crinkle worm at one point, and I really enjoyed that. Your superhero was so so great, so creative and funny. I thought you were awesome the whole time. It was really good. The only thing I didn't like was the fries in the pocket, but I thought you did a great job.
(laughter)
Tommy: Just because that grossed me out. Everything else I thought was amazing.
Brittany: Thanks, Tommy. You are always such a star performer and deliverer of your ideas. I felt that really came through in each of your segments. I loved the whole presidential piece. I felt like I knew a bit what it means to be an American again.
(laughter)
Brittany: I loved the song, so talented.
Molly: That's it for today's debate battle. Kimtee crowned ice cream the Smash Boom Best. What about you?
Kimtee: Head over to smashboom.org and tell us who you think won?
Molly: Do you remember Antonio from Oakville, Ontario and his idea for a cruises versus camping matchup? Here's who he thinks would win.
Antonio: I think cruises would win because they are five-star hotels on water.
Kimtee: Do you have one of a kind idea for a matchup? Head over to smashboom.org and tell us about it.
Molly: Smash Boom Best is brought to you by Brains On and American Public Media.
Tommy: It's produced by Rosie DuPont, Marc Sanchez, Sanden Totten, and Molly Bloom.
Brittany: We had engineering help from Eric Romani and Veronica Rodriguez.
Tommy: We had production help from Menaka Wilhelm, Kristina Lopez, Elyssa Dudley, and Lauren Dee.
Molly: Anna Weggel is the voice of our hold music and our announcer is Marley Feuerwerker-Otto. We want to give a special thanks to Austin Cross, Taylor Coffman, Jed Kim, Peter Eklund, Melanie Rene, and Lulu. Brittany, is there anyone you want to thank today?
Brittany: How about the listeners?
Molly: That's so nice. Thank you, listeners. Tommy, is there anyone you want to give a shout-out to?
Tommy: I want to give a shout-out to Kimtee, to everyone who works on the show, and to Emily Fox who introduced me to the pineapple coconut ice cream flavor from Häagen-Dazs.
Molly: Delicious. Kimtee, anyone you want to give any special thanks to?
Kimtee: I would like to give a special thanks to Lamdell for telling me what this opportunity as well as everyone involved here today for letting me be here.
Molly Bloom: We'll be back with a brand new debate battle next week. Be there or be square.
Tommy: Au revoir.
Kimtee: Bye.
Molly: Ta ta.
Brittany: Toodle-oo, everybody.
(Music)
Molly: I have to say I love eating French-fries and ice cream together like a chocolate milkshake with French-fries is a really good combination. I think this is-- We're all friends here.