Dingus of the Week Podcast

The Hills are alive with the sound of dingus: Spencer Pratt for mayor — Dingus of the Week Podcast #28

Spencer Pratt was reality television's first fully self-aware villain — a man who admitted, on camera, that he was performing villainy for an audience. He staged a fake divorce, manipulated storylines, and turned being unlikeable into a career. The Hills did make him famous. It also made him a case study in how American media rewards people who understand that the camera is on and someone's watching. He knew the game before most people knew there was a game. There wasn't much to report recently, and then his house burned down in the Palisades fire, and something unexpected happened: Spencer Pratt got real. He showed up to protests. He got angry on behalf of his neighbors. He announced a mayoral campaign at the one-year anniversary of the fires... and people didn't laugh him out of the room. He is currently polling at 22%, just behind incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and is a legitimate threat to make the runoff. The man who was professionally fake is now genuinely running to lead a real city. The joke of Spencer Pratt running for mayor only works if Spencer Pratt is the punchline. But the longer you look at it, the more you realize the punchline might be us. We built the machine that made him. We watched The Hills. We rewarded performance over substance for two decades and then expressed shock when a performer showed up with a policy platform. Spencer Pratt didn't corrupt American politics. He just followed the incentives, a map we drew for him. This week on DINGUS OF THE WEEK, LYZ LENZ and ZACHARY OREN SMITH follow Spencer Pratt from The Hills to City Hall and find the view from both places is equally bleak. DINGUS OF THE WEEK is a weekly comedy news podcast where writers Lyz and Zach light a fire under the American rogue's gallery to see who comes spilling out. If you're tired of doom-scrolling but know ignoring the problem doesn't get us anywhere, this is your new weekend listen. New episodes every Saturday morning. SUPPORT THE SHOW BY SUBSCRIBING ON PATREON [https://www.patreon.com/cw/LyzLenz]. 👑 $5/month - Not a Dingus tier [https://www.patreon.com/checkout/LyzLenz?rid=26928874] (3 weekly newsletters, 1 podcast, and our entire archive) 👑👑 $10/month - Definitely Not a Dingus tier [https://www.patreon.com/checkout/LyzLenz?rid=26928880] (all the above + polls and topic submissions, a chat community, weekly discussions, comment access, and our love) SEND US YOUR DINGUS. Record a voice memo [http://memo.fm/dingus] and tell us who your dingus of the week is. Make it good and you'll hear your voice on the show. You can also email those to menyellatme@gmail.com [menyellatme@gmail.com].  FOLLOW DINGUS OF THE WEEK * Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@DingusoftheWeek] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dingusoftheweek/] LYZ LENZ is the HBIC of MYAM Media.  ZACHARY OREN SMITH writes about politics [https://www.instagram.com/zachosmith/#] for Iowa Starting Line. Follow his work on Instagram (http://instagram.com/zacharyorensmith) [http://instagram.com/zacharyorensmith)] and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@zacharyorensmith). [https://www.tiktok.com/@zacharyorensmith).] LAURA BENITEZ [https://laurabenitezandtheheartache.com/index.html] wrote the theme song. [https://laurabenitezandtheheartache.com/index.html] SHOW RUNDOWN: 00:00 — Cold open: Lyz's Wikifeet profile 08:05 — Intro 9:26 — Dingus: Spencer Pratt is polling at 22% and America has no one to blame but itself 40:25 — Runner-up: The DOJ investigates E. Jean Carroll while Trump's $5 million judgment collects dust 50:55 — Midroll: Hot Divorcee Summer 55:07 — GAME: Stars turned politicians 01:06:06 — Joy: the NYT pickle brine margarita, [https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025573-pickle-brine-margarita]Tom Lin's Babylon, South Dakota [https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/tom-lin/babylon-south-dakota/9780316576277/?lens=little-brown], [https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/tom-lin/babylon-south-dakota/9780316576277/?lens=little-brown] and Pope's Magnifica Humanitas. 01:19:08 — Close

Something borrowed, something booed: AI skipped my name at graduation — Dingus of the Week Podcast #27

It's graduation season in America, and at Glendale Community College in Arizona, the administration decided to hand the most important moment of the academic calendar — the calling of your name, in front of peers and family — to an algorithm. The AI skipped people. Many students missed their moment of recognition. The crowd booed. The president called it "a lesson learned." This week on DINGUS OF THE WEEK, LYZ LENZ and ZACHARY OREN SMITH join the chorus of boos. After all, what better way to prepare them for the workforce than by implementing AI without their knowledge? DINGUS OF THE WEEK is a weekly comedy news podcast where writers Lyz and Zach light a fire under the American rogue's gallery to see who comes spilling out. If you're tired of doom-scrolling but know ignoring the problem doesn't get us anywhere, this is your new weekend listen. New episodes every Saturday morning. SUPPORT THE SHOW BY SUBSCRIBING ON PATREON [https://www.patreon.com/cw/LyzLenz]. 👑 $5/month - Not a Dingus tier [https://www.patreon.com/checkout/LyzLenz?rid=26928874] (3 weekly newsletters, 1 podcast, and our entire archive) 👑👑 $10/month - Definitely Not a Dingus tier [https://www.patreon.com/checkout/LyzLenz?rid=26928880] (all the above + polls and topic submissions, a chat community, weekly discussions, comment access, and our love) SEND US YOUR DINGUS. Record a voice memo [http://memo.fm/dingus] and tell us who your dingus of the week is. Make it good and you'll hear your voice on the show. You can also email those to menyellatme@gmail.com [menyellatme@gmail.com].  FOLLOW DINGUS OF THE WEEK * Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@DingusoftheWeek] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dingusoftheweek/] LYZ LENZ is the HBIC of MYAM Media.  ZACHARY OREN SMITH writes about politics [https://www.instagram.com/zachosmith/#] for Iowa Starting Line. Follow his work on Instagram (http://instagram.com/zacharyorensmith) [http://instagram.com/zacharyorensmith)] and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@zacharyorensmith). [https://www.tiktok.com/@zacharyorensmith).] LAURA BENITEZ [https://laurabenitezandtheheartache.com/index.html] wrote the theme song. [https://laurabenitezandtheheartache.com/index.html] SHOW RUNDOWN: 00:00 — Trump can't commit to Iran or his son's wedding 03:00 — Intro 11:00 — Dingus: Glendale Community College skips graduates with AI at commencement 37:00 — Mid-roll: Lyz interviewed the woman dating Luigi Mangione's AI 42:00 — Dinguses where are they now?: Trump's golden ballroom hits a $1 billion funding wall 51:00 — GAME: For Better or For Bot — three AI romances, one is fake 1:03:00 — JOY: Little League snacks and tall grass 1:10:00 — Close

The case of (Trump's) golden idol — Dingus of the Week Podcast #26

The United States is wrapped in a weather pattern we've taken to calling a Dingus Hydra. That is a multiheaded beast, each head uglier than the last. To name a few: A racist livestreamer named Dalton Eatherly [https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/13/us/chud-the-builder-tennessee-shooting]—known online as "Chud the Builder" because of course he is—ran up a steakhouse tab he refused to pay, got arrested, bonded out, and then managed to get himself shot outside a Tennessee courthouse the next day. A 33-year-old political operative named William Paul, son of US Sen. Rand Paul, walked up [https://www.notus.org/congress/william-paul-mike-lawler-confrontation-antisemitism] to Republican US Rep. Mike Lawler at a Capitol Hill bar and claimed the congressman was Jewish. And when Lawler corrected him, Paul said, “Oh wow, I’m so sorry for calling you a Jew." He then continued on a tirade about how Jews were “anti-American” and how Lawler and his “Jewish supporters” served Israel more than America. And then Thomas Massie, the Kentucky congressman Trump called a "moron," [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Jciet4Touvo] is about to face the most expensive House primary in American history, [https://www.whas11.com/article/news/politics/kentucky-primary-election-thomas-massie-ed-gallrein-new-poll/417-8c26e65c-92a2-475d-b12e-f5ba1b80983a] $29 million and counting, because he dared to agree with the president only 90% of the time. Don't let him fool you, though; he allegedly stiffed [https://www.axios.com/2026/05/13/thomas-massie-cynthia-west-nda-spartz] his girlfriend's hush money payment. But this week on DINGUS OF THE WEEK, hosts LYZ LENZ and ZACHARY OREN SMITH are saving the two grimmest Hydra heads for the end: first, the giant golden "Don Colossus" that is definitely not an idol being adored by evangelical pastors. And second, CRUISE SHIPS. They've had it too good for too long. DINGUS OF THE WEEK is a weekly comedy news podcast where writers Lyz and Zach light a fire under the American rogue's gallery to see who comes spilling out. If you're tired of doom-scrolling but know ignoring the problem doesn't get us anywhere, this is your new weekend listen. New episodes every Saturday morning. SUPPORT THE SHOW BY SUBSCRIBING ON PATREON [https://www.patreon.com/cw/LyzLenz]. 👑 $5/month - Not a Dingus tier [https://www.patreon.com/checkout/LyzLenz?rid=26928874] (3 weekly newsletters, 1 podcast, and our entire archive) 👑👑 $10/month - Definitely Not a Dingus tier [https://www.patreon.com/checkout/LyzLenz?rid=26928880] (all the above + polls and topic submissions, a chat community, weekly discussions, comment access, and our love) SEND US YOUR DINGUS. Record a voice memo [http://memo.fm/dingus] and tell us who your dingus of the week is. Make it good and you'll hear your voice on the show. You can also email those to menyellatme@gmail.com [menyellatme@gmail.com].  FOLLOW DINGUS OF THE WEEK * Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@DingusoftheWeek] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dingusoftheweek/] LYZ LENZ is the HBIC of MYAM Media.  ZACHARY OREN SMITH writes about politics [https://www.instagram.com/zachosmith/#] for Iowa Starting Line. Follow his work on Instagram (http://instagram.com/zacharyorensmith) [http://instagram.com/zacharyorensmith)] and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@zacharyorensmith). [https://www.tiktok.com/@zacharyorensmith).] LAURA BENITEZ [https://laurabenitezandtheheartache.com/index.html] wrote the theme song. [https://laurabenitezandtheheartache.com/index.html] SHOW RUNDOWN: 00:00 — You emailed the wrong woman 08:30 — Intro 15:00 — Runner-up dinguses: Chud the Builder gets shot outside a courthouse 22:00 — Rand Paul's son does an antisemitism at a Capitol Hill bar 26:00 — Thomas Massie's $5,000 hush money problem 29:00 — DINGUS: Cruise ships are floating vectors of disease and always have been 33:00 — DINGUS: Don Colossus and the Ten Commandments 48:00 — Patreon mid-roll: Relay Iowa raises money for Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice 53:00 — GAME: Three presidential mistresses — which one is fake? 59:00 — JOY: Jolene turns six / Marty Supreme and the post-movie chat

Do a billionaire's tears trickle up? Steven Roth on taxing the rich — Dingus of the Week Podcast #25

Steven Roth is the CEO of Vornado Realty Trust, one of the largest real estate companies in the United States. Through it, he controls billions of dollars in property across New York City. And he has used this immense platform to *checks notes* compare taxing the rich to a genocide. You may remember "tax the rich" from such contexts as literally every democratic society that has ever existed, or more recently, from being the phrase that sent a Manhattan billionaire into a full public meltdown. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani proposed a pied-à-terre tax on second homes worth more than five million dollars and filmed a video outside Ken Griffin's $238 million penthouse to announce it. Griffin called it "creepy and weird." Roth called "tax the rich" — and this is actually what he said — "is just as hateful as some disgusting racial slurs and even the phrase, 'from the river to the sea.'" He also said the wealthy should be "praised and thanked." We will get to that. This week on DINGUS OF THE WEEK, LYZ LENZ and ZACHARY OREN SMITH drill to the heart of the billionaire victim complex, a cruise ship stranded off the coast of West Africa, and Zach's apologetics for the dirty Dr. Pepper. DINGUS OF THE WEEK is a weekly comedy news podcast where writers Lyz and Zach light a fire under the American rogue's gallery to see who comes spilling out. If you're tired of doom-scrolling but know ignoring the problem doesn't get us anywhere, this is your new weekend listen. New episodes every Saturday morning. SUPPORT THE SHOW BY SUBSCRIBING ON PATREON [https://www.patreon.com/cw/LyzLenz]. 👑 $5/month - Not a Dingus tier [https://www.patreon.com/checkout/LyzLenz?rid=26928874] (3 weekly newsletters, 1 podcast, and our entire archive) 👑👑 $10/month - Definitely Not a Dingus tier [https://www.patreon.com/checkout/LyzLenz?rid=26928880] (all the above + polls and topic submissions, a chat community, weekly discussions, comment access, and our love) SEND US YOUR DINGUS. Record a voice memo [http://memo.fm/dingus] and tell us who your dingus of the week is. Make it good and you'll hear your voice on the show. You can also email those to menyellatme@gmail.com [menyellatme@gmail.com].  FOLLOW DINGUS OF THE WEEK * Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@DingusoftheWeek] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dingusoftheweek/] LYZ LENZ is the HBIC of MYAM Media.  ZACHARY OREN SMITH writes about politics [https://www.instagram.com/zachosmith/#] for Iowa Starting Line. Follow his work on Instagram (http://instagram.com/zacharyorensmith) [http://instagram.com/zacharyorensmith)] and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@zacharyorensmith). [https://www.tiktok.com/@zacharyorensmith).] LAURA BENITEZ [https://laurabenitezandtheheartache.com/index.html] wrote the theme song. [https://laurabenitezandtheheartache.com/index.html] SHOW RUNDOWN: 00:00 — Intro: The ways Lyz won't support Zach 6:30 — 71% of Democratic women think they can beat Trump's ass [https://19thnews.org/2026/05/trump-physical-fight-poll/] 21:26 — Dingus of the Week: Steven Roth discovers oppression, compares tax policy to hate speech 44:26 — Mid-roll: Patreon plug 47:25 — Game: Man explains Hantavirus (cruise ship edition) 56:30 — Dinguses Where Are They Now: Ca$h's bourbon bottle + Karoline Leavitt had a baby 01:06:00 — Listener Dingus: Dirty drinks 01:16:19 — Joy Seg: Mother's Day and people who know stuff 01:49: — Close

Pete Hegseth hits (Kid) Rock Bottom — Dingus of the Week Podcast #24

Pete Hegseth is the Secretary of Defense of the United States of America, which means he is in charge of the most powerful military in human history. And he has used this immense position to *checks script* give Kid Rock a helicopter ride. You may remember Kid Rock from such hits as "Bawitdaba" and "All Summer Long," or more recently, from being the guy whose Nashville estate got buzzed by Army Apache helicopters in March. The 101st Airborne, a unit that parachuted into Normandy, is continuing its illustrious legacy by hovering over Rock's swimming pool while he salutes. The Army opened an investigation. Hegseth shut it down. "No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots," he wrote [https://www.npr.org/2026/04/01/nx-s1-5769800/suspension-lifted-helicopter-pilots-kid-rock] on Truth Social. And carry on we must. This week on DINGUS OF THE WEEK, LYZ LENZ and ZACHARY OREN SMITH dig into Pete Hegseth's Apache joy rides, the Supreme Court's demolition of the Voting Rights Act, and we talk about a hero teacher stuck it to the censoring mob. DINGUS OF THE WEEK is a weekly comedy news podcast where writers Lyz and Zach light a fire under the American rogue's gallery to see who comes spilling out. If you're tired of doom-scrolling but know ignoring the problem doesn't get us anywhere, this is your new weekend listen. New episodes every Saturday morning. SUPPORT THE SHOW BY SUBSCRIBING ON PATREON [https://www.patreon.com/cw/LyzLenz]. 👑 $5/month - Not a Dingus tier [https://www.patreon.com/checkout/LyzLenz?rid=26928874] (3 weekly newsletters, 1 podcast, and our entire archive) 👑👑 $10/month - Definitely Not a Dingus tier [https://www.patreon.com/checkout/LyzLenz?rid=26928880] (all the above + polls and topic submissions, a chat community, weekly discussions, comment access, and our love) SEND US YOUR DINGUS. Record a voice memo [http://memo.fm/dingus] and tell us who your dingus of the week is. Make it good and you'll hear your voice on the show. You can also email those to menyellatme@gmail.com [menyellatme@gmail.com].  FOLLOW DINGUS OF THE WEEK * Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@DingusoftheWeek] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dingusoftheweek/] LYZ LENZ is the HBIC of MYAM Media.  ZACHARY OREN SMITH writes about politics [https://www.instagram.com/zachosmith/#] for Iowa Starting Line. Follow his work on Instagram (http://instagram.com/zacharyorensmith) [http://instagram.com/zacharyorensmith)] and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@zacharyorensmith). [https://www.tiktok.com/@zacharyorensmith).] MEGAN GREENWELL is a writer, editor, and newsroom leader. Her bestselling book, Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream, [https://www.megangreenwell.com/book] was published in 2025. She also writes narrative features, edits stories on contract, and works as a consultant to newsrooms ranging from local startups to major magazines. LAURA BENITEZ [https://laurabenitezandtheheartache.com/index.html] wrote the theme song. [https://laurabenitezandtheheartache.com/index.html] SHOW RUNDOWN: 00:00 — Intro: Return to Bawitdaba 07:30 — Dingus of the Week: Kid Rock's Apache joy rides and Pete Hegseth's $7,000-a-flight friendship program 20:00 — Dinguses Where Are They Now: Casey Means in purgatory 29:30 — Mid-roll: Patreon plug + Time magazine shoutout (Liz only) 32:00 — Listener Dingus: Superintendent tried to fire a teacher over a Facebook post about Charlie Kirk — she sued, won, and he had to post about "valuing diverse viewpoints" 42:00 — Joy: Liz gets New York divorced (by proxy), boulevardiers vs. old fashioneds, and Zach's baby goes to meet the grandparents 51:00 — Outro and Patreon