"Burger King 5 with Sam Richardson" is Episode 307 of Doughboys, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Burger King 5 with Sam Richardson" was released on July 1, 2021.
"Tomorrow… with Sam Richardson. Plus, a chat with Pratt" - @doughboyspod
Synopsis[]
Sam Richardson (Veep, Detroiters, Werewolves Within, I Think You Should Leave, The Tomorrow War) joins the 'boys for a review of Burger King and a Detroit edition of Slop Quiz. Plus, an interview with Chris Pratt.
Nick's intro[]
You probably don't know the names Crispin, Porter, and Bogusky, but if you were watching American commercial television in the Aughts, you were no doubt exposed to their work. The trio's eponymous ad agency first made a splash in 1999 with their teen-driven anti-tobacco "Truth" campaign.
The King
Buoyed by this success, these dot.com era mad men cravenly pivoted from protecting to harming the health of Americans, by accepting a trio of fast-food clients: Arby's, Domino's, and the second-biggest burger chain in the world, the regal Pepsi to McDonald's Coke. Under their guidance, the hamburger-sandwich restaurant completely re-invented its brand from dull, staid also-ran to self-aware edgelord, chiefly through their rebooted internet-ready mascot, a plastic-headed monarch named The King (no doubt inspired by the success of Jack In The Box's "CEO Jack" ads).
Outside of his meta, often-unsettling TV commercials (a harbinger for the future of ads in general), The King even starred in a trio of promotional video games developed in concert with fellow agency client, Microsoft: vehicle-action titles Big Bumpin' and PocketBike Racer, and stealth-surprise meal simulator Sneak King.
Today's the chain's advertising is overseen by a new agency, mcgarrybowen, and the firm of Crispin Porter + Bogusky has dissolved altogether.
But The King mascot still reigns, as does the tonal shift in advertising towards irony and self-awareness that roughly began with his coronation.
This week on Doughboys, we return for the fifth time to Burger King.
Fork rating[]
The Doughboys have visited Burger King a number of times.
- The first review was back in episode 26, when Nick gave it 3 forks and Mitch 3.5.
- A couple of years later they went again, and Burger King bottomed out, making the Broken Plate Club, as Nick rated it 1 fork and Mitch gave it 2.
- Then the Doughboys returned in 2019 to try the then-new Impossible Whopper, but did have other things to count as a full review; Nick and Mitch each gave it 3.5 forks.
- One year later, Burger King was reviewed a fourth time, and Nick and Mitch each bumped it up to 4 forks (though it did fall short of the Golden Plate Club).
- Burger King has also been a regular in many of the Tournaments of Chompions. Burger King was a trigger behind much of the chaos in the 2016 Burger Brawl (in episodes 41 and 42). It lost immediately in a random Fat Chance Kitchen appearance during the 2017 Chicken Fight. Its dessert made a surprisingly deep run in the 2021 Pie Noon (see these three eps: DD, DD, and 292).
- Over the course of the show, the Doughboys have also done many single BK product reviews: Farmhouse King, Sourdough King, Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Angry Whopper, and BK Kids Meals.
| guest / host | ordered | rating |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger |
|
4.5 forks |
| Mike Mitchell |
|
4.5 forks |
| Sam Richardson |
|
4.5 forks |
Nick went to Burger King for breakfast, though Mitch and Sam did not.
Spoonman's Bite of the Night went to the Double Sourdough King.
Burger King finally makes it to the Golden Plate Club!
Slop Quiz: Detreat edition[]
In Slop Quiz, Nick presents a food-related exam (pop quiz) and Mitch and the guest compete for superiority.
The theme for this episode was Detreats (treats from Detroit).
Nick presents an incorrect year that the food or restaurant made a debut, and Mitch and Sam had to guess if the real year was earlier or later (under or over). They each get to guess for each clue.
| clue | Mitch's guess | Sam's guess | correct | score
(M-S) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Coney Island hot dog: 1925 | under | 1917 | 1 - 0 | |
| ABC (almond boneless chicken): 1945 | 1940 | 1 - 0 | ||
| Scotty Simpson's Fish & Chips: 1939 | over | over | 1950 | 2 - 1 |
| Asian Corned Beef: 1981 | under | 1978 | 2 - 2 | |
| Telway Hamburgers: 1953 | under | under | 1944 | 3 - 3 |
| Mike's Famous Ham Place: 1955 | over | over | 1974 | 4 - 4 |
| Vernor's Ginger Ale: 1878 | under | 1866 | 4 - 5 | |
| Faygo: 1930 | under | under | 1907 | 5 - 6 |
Sam wins!
Chatt with Pratt[]
Chris Pratt and Mike Mitchell
After the main episode, The Doughboys include a bonus interview with star of The Tomorrow War, Chris Pratt. WOW.
They chat about Pratt going to In-N-Out for his anniversary with his wife, his movie-star eating routine, his time working at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., taking his son on the Guardians of Galaxy ride at Disneyland, eating during scenes of shows, and how Mitch's goofiness made Pratt look even cooler in The Tomorrow War.
Pratt also claims that Mitch was his favorite actor who was in both The Tomorrow War and Parks and Recreation.
Mitch had once told his story of mentioning the then-new Doritos Locos Taco at Taco Bell to Pratt while together on Parks and Recreation. Chris responded with a "cool, dude," which led to Chris being officially declared an enemy of Spoon Nation. (This came up in this episode.) They have Chris clarify his thoughts on the Doritos Locos Taco. (He loves Taco Bell.)
Pratt's status as an enemy of Spoon Nation is left open; however, Mitch does offer to have him replace Nick as the second host of Doughboys, so it seems that he is no longer Spoon Nation's enemy.
Roast Spoonman[]
| “ | He's not Wimpy, but he'll gladly pay you tomorrow for a war today. | ” |
–Human Person | ||
The Feedbag[]
| The world's cereal mascots are called to compete in mortal combat. Who do you think would win the tournament? (-Josh K) | |
|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | |
| Mike Mitchell | |
| Sam Richardson | |
#hashtags[]
- #SuperSmashBrothersBowl
Quotes[]
| “ | A silver bullet will kill a werewolf. If a werewolf drinks a Coors Light, what happens? | ” |
–Mike Mitchell | ||
| “ | It's cool. I'm sure I'll say something new about Burger King that nobody's ever said before in the four previous ones. | ” |
–Sam Richardson on learning this is Burger King 5 | ||
| “ | I don't say this often, but this is a fucking genius question. It may be the best question we've ever got. | ” |
–Mike Mitchell re: The Feedbag | ||
| “ | It's one molecule away from angel dust. | ” |
–Chris Pratt re: Doritos cheese dust | ||
Related Episodes[]
| Burger King episodes | Sam Richardson episodes |
|---|---|
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Photos[]
