"Tournament of Chompions: Steak ‘n Shake v. 6-seed" is Episode 42 of Doughboys, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Tournament of Chompions: Steak ‘n Shake v. 6-seed" was released on March 10, 2016.
Synopsis[]
In the second proper match of #MunchMadness 2016: The Tournament of Chompions, actor and composer Michael Daniel Cassady (Drunk History, the Doughboys theme song) joins to judge this week’s Burger Brawl. Michael, Mitch, and Wiger weigh Platinum Plate Club member Steak ‘n Shake against the hungry winner of the Eat-in Minisode. Plus, the return of beloved segment The Leftovers.
Nick's intro[]
Few figures and chain restaurants are enshrouded in as much mystique and controversy as Sardar Biglari, the enigmatic entrepreneur who led a corporate takeover of a beloved Midwest diner chain and subsequently expanded the brand westward for the first time in its eighty year history.
The restaurant was a subject so heated, we dedicated two full episodes [1 , 2] and embarked on a four-hour round-trip drive to Victorville, California - a sleepy checkpoint on the highway from Los Angeles to Las Vegas - to give it a full evaluation. Weighing in at 544 locations, it secured its spot in the Platinum Plate Club, but only after a mediocre first outing that left it on the outside looking in.
Now as the third seed, the only Platinum inductee without a first-round bye, it will have to battle against an upstart sixth seed looking to become the Tournament's Cinderella story. The dust settled on our Eat-In match, the winner now faces off against this Heartland juggernaut.
This week on Doughboys, the second match-up of the Mild Card round of Munch Madness 2016: The Tournament Of Chompions: Burger Brawl - Burger King vs. Steak 'n Shake.
Let's a-go!
[Five Guys is also in today's competition. -ed.]
Burger Brawl rules[]
The rules for the Munch Madness: Tournament of Chompions: Burger Brawl are as follows:
- Restaurants must have previously appeared on Doughboys.
- The three categories that each burger is ranked by are Presentation/Creativity, Condiments/Bun, and Burger/Taste/Juiciness.
- Categories are rated on a scale of 0-10 Basketballs, which are arbitrary and meaningless, and they can be overruled by final decision, which is answered by "which burger would you feed to a Mogwai?".
- Burgers only! Sides stay on the sidelines. Drinks stay in the Gatorade jug, which is also on the sidelines. Other mains stay in Maine.
Basketball ratings 🏀[]
To recap: Burger King beat Five Guys in the minisode, when Evan Susser broke the tie in the favor of Burger King. Nick Wiger remains outraged at this decision. Mitch, acting as the mediator, proposes bringing Five Guys back into the competition, making the Commissioner's vote useless and making Nick excited once again ("this is a fun development").
Nick and Mitch's Five Guys and Burger King ratings are carried over from the previous episodes of the Tournament, though Nick, still upset at the minisode, downgrades his BK ratings to 1 Child-size Basketball.
| Five Guys | 🍔 ordered | Presentation | Condiment / Buns | Burger / Taste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | - | 6.5 | 8 | 9 |
| Mike Mitchell | - | 6 | 6 | 8 |
| Michael Cassady | Bacon Cheeseburger (all the toppings) | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| Burger King | 🍔 ordered | Presentation | Condiments / Bun | Burger / Taste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | - | 1 CSB | 1 CSB | 1 CSB |
| Mike Mitchell | - | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Michael Cassady | Bacon Cheeseburger | 5 | 5 | 6 |
Cassady also had a Chicken Jr. and Classic Fries.
| Steak 'n Shake | 🍔 ordered | Presentation | Condiments / Bun | Burger / Taste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | Jalapeño Crunch Steakburger | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| Mike Mitchell | Frisco Melt | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| Michael Cassady | Bacon 'n Cheese Double Steakburger | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Cassady and Mitch split their two burgers with each other.
For sides, Mitch had Cajun Fries and a Cherry Limeade. Nick had a Side Garden Salad (Blue Cheese dressing) and a Barq's Root Beer. Cassady had Baked Beans and a Diet Coke.
Burger Brawl winner[]
a Mogwai
The final decision is based on which burger is so good that you have to feed it to a Mogwai after midnight, even though you're not supposed to do that.
| guest / host | 🍔 to give to a Mogwai |
|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | Five Guys |
| Mike Mitchell | Five Guys |
| Michael Cassady | Steak 'n Shake |
Mitch originally voted for Burger King, which led to another three-way tie, and again frustrating Nick.
So, after the initial vote, Mitch decides to swap his vote to seemingly avoid having to call Susser. This means that, even though Burger King beat it during the Eat-In episode, Five Guys advances to the next round anyway. This is because Mitch voted for different results in a battle between the exact same meals. Despite the result being more agreeable to him, this, too, frustrates Nick. (Mitch, however, calls it "fun and exciting.")
The 2016 Tournament has officially descended into chaos.
The Leftovers[]
Subway Meatball Marinara
In this segment, the Doughboys eat something that has been left in the fridge overnight.
For this episode, they have the Meatball Marinara from Subway.
They rate it on a scale of "leave the burgers behind" (bad) or "ascend to heaven" (good), certain that's what happens on the show.
To their surprise, the sandwiches have held up quite well. Mitch and Nick decide to take the sandwiches with them when they die and ascend to heaven. Cassady casts his sandwich out of the kingdom of heaven and curses it to remain forever on this miserable Earth.
Quotes[]
| “ | Burger King, I will let you win this competition if you give me twenty dollars. | ” |
–Mike Mitchell | ||
| “ | There's Old Nick, sitting up on the highway overpass, contemplating suicide and eating a burger. | ” |
–Mike Mitchell | ||
| “ | Listen, it's all a mess. It shouldn't have happened. Rockdoughberfest shouldn't have happened. Every time we try to do something new, we fail, and we should never try to do anything new again. | ” |
–Mike Mitchell | ||
| “ | I wondered how many minutes it would take to get to Force Awakens, then we have to get to everyone's mortality, and how to quit Doughboys. | ” |
–Michael Cassady | ||
| “ | Nick: I hate this! I hate that we're doing this! Mitch: He's crying! He just ripped off his pants to reveal a diaper. |
” |
–Nick Wiger and Mike Mitchell | ||
| “ | Mitch: My long-lasting memory of that is puking in the sink of my hotel room and seeing myself in the hotel mirror as I was pushing the puke down the drain with my hands. Nick: Jesus Christ, what a fucking image to end the podcast with. No one wants to hear that shit. |
” |
–The Doughboys | ||
#hashtags[]
- #MyLovelyWife
The Feedbag[]
| “ | I'm an ensign of the Spoon Nation fleet in Michigan. Living so close to Canada, I have lots of experience with the greatest thing to ever come out of Canada since hockey. Poutine!
Poutine has recently come into vogue as being a popular food to make with artisan toppings and ingredients. That is not what poutine is! Poutine at its heart is fries, gravy, cheese curds. Maybe some green onion garnished on top, that's it, and it is delicious. Amazing. More places in the USA need to serve it. Are there any foods that you think are similar to poutine in that the simplest form of it is the best? |
” |
–Mitchell Reich | ||
| guest / host | foods that are best in their simplest form |
|---|---|
| Nick Wiger |
|
| Mike Mitchell | - |
| Michael Cassady |
|
Restaurants[]
| official visit | location | notes |
|---|---|---|
| Burger King | Santa Monica, CA | Nick went to this location for the show |
| Steak 'N Shake | Burbank, CA | Nick, Mitch, and Cassady all went together to this location |
| Five Guys | Los Angeles, CA | Cassady went to the location on Wilshire Blvd. |
| restaurants referenced | location | notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jack in the Box | - | they talk a bit about Jack in the Box marketing |
| Grilled Cheese Truck | Los Angeles, CA | Nick mentions this LA food truck |
Drops[]
| movies / tv | notes |
|---|---|
| South Park / Paul Rust / The Chappelle Show / Frasier / Seinfeld / The Rock / Anchorman | Mitch's drop (from Daniel T.) |
Related Episodes[]
| Burger Brawl episodes | Michael Cassady episodes |
|---|---|
|
|
| Steak 'n Shake episodes | Burger King episodes | Five Guys episodes |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Photos (via @doughboyspod)[]
Steak 'n Shake Jalapeno Crunch Steakburger