Hi, friends.
This is Molly.
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Now, it's showtime.
From the brains behind Brains On, it's Smash Boom Best.
The show for people with big opinions.
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, it's a battle of iconic British folk heroes.
On one side, we've got a king who loves justice, peace and a little bit of magic.
And on the other, a hero who steals from the rich with a brigade of buddies.
That's right.
It's King Arthur versus Robin Hood.
Here to sharpen a sword for King Arthur is the host and creator of Greeking Out, Kenny Curtis.
King Arthur, the man, the myth, the legend.
He is actually all three and he is going to win this debate.
And here with a quiver full of good arguments for Robin Hood is Greek-ing out writer Jillian Hughes.
He's a man of the people who steals from the rich, protects the poor, and wears tights while doing it.
Give it up for the OG social justice warrior, the one, the only, Robin Hood!
Amazing.
Okay.
All right.
Okay.
Yeah, he does make tights look good.
That's fair.
And not only are these two, Jillian and Kenny, a father-daughter duo, but they also have a new podcast called History Snacks.
What's the show about?
Snacks.
Snack food throughout history.
It's all about snacks that people know.
Actually, I wish it was because it makes me kind of hungry.
But it's little bites of history information from, you know, around the world and cultures from around the world.
And unlike Greeking Out, wouldn't you say, Jill, it's actually based in actual history?
Yes, yes.
So these are true stories.
We try to make them fun and relevant.
And what's different from Greeking Out is this time they made a mistake and gave me the microphone.
So I'm actually...
Co-hosting with Kenny.
So I finally have my moment of glory.
But yeah, it's really fun and we have a great time doing it together.
Gets a little goofy, but it's still educational and very similar to Greeking Out, I'd say.
Yeah, go check it out.
And here to judge this fabled debate is Emma from Austin, Texas.
Emma's in the marching band, loves learning new magic tricks, and is starting to think about college.
Hi, Emma.
Hi, Molly.
So Emma, since we last chatted, you told us you made yourself a bingo card with goals for 2026.
I really love that idea.
What inspired you to make the bingo card?
I was inspired to make the bingo card because, you know, sometimes you lose track of time in the year and you want to do more things.
So if I just set a goal of like maybe 15 things to do, I'll get each of those done.
I can get a bingo and maybe I'll get a surprise at the end.
So how far are you on your card so far?
I'm about halfway through.
One of my goals was to read a minimum of five books, and I've gotten that goal, so I say that's pretty good.
That's really good.
Can you add Judge Smashman Best as one of the goals so you can cross that one off?
I added do an interview or do some sort of fun thing that you've done before.
And I think this counts.
I think it totally does.
Okay, what's a new magic trick that you've been working on?
Recently, I have been learning how to do fake cuts within a deck.
So instead of cutting it, so it's always random, I would put the deck right back in order from how it was originally put through Ace, through Heart, Jack, Queen.
And so I've been practicing that so that I can get more clean with my tricks.
That's really cool.
So I know magic takes a lot of like sleight of hand, like you have to be dexterous.
I'm wondering if your saxophone and clarinet playing helps you do that at all.
It kind of does.
It does help because I'm able to slow down and understand the different processes of moving with between clarinet and then saxophone and then sometimes magic as well, which is really fun.
That's awesome.
I bet your fingers can stretch far.
Oh, they do some.
That's really awesome.
Well, will Emma choose Robin Hood or King Arthur?
Let's find out.
But first, the rules of the game.
Every debate consists of four rounds, the declaration of greatness, the micro round, the sneak attack, and the final six.
After each round, our judge, Emma, will award points to the team that impresses her the most, but she'll keep her 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.
Okay, Jillian, Kenny, and Emma, are you ready?
Absolutely.
We're ready.
Then it's time for the Declaration of Greatness.
In this round, our debaters will present a well-crafted, immersive argument in favor of their side.
Then they'll each have 30 seconds to rebut their opponent's statements.
We flipped a coin, and Jillian, you're up first.
Let's hear you go rah-rah for Robinhood.
Robin Hood isn't just a fun character, he's a guide for solving all kinds of problems.
That's why when I'm in a bind, I ask myself, WWRD, what would Robin do?
The stories of Robin Hood are jam-packed with life lessons.
Here are some of the basics.
Robin was an outlaw.
He robbed the greedy rich and shared with the good-hearted poor.
He rocked green tights and was great with a bow and arrow.
He lived in Sherwood Forest with his buddies.
You might have heard of some of them.
The Merry Men, Little John, Friar Tuck, and Maid Marian, just to name a few.
And if anyone tried to stop him, he'd outfight them.
Or, more often, outwit them.
He had a lot of enemies.
King John hated him, the Sheriff of Nottingham really hated him, but the people?
Well, the people loved him.
So how does this legend from over 500 years ago help me today?
It's easy.
I take a problem, and I think about how Robin would solve it.
Like, too much time in front of a screen?
What would Robin do?
He'd say, swap out that screen time for some green time.
Get back out in the forest, baby.
Ahoy, friend.
It's me, Robin Hood.
Do you like Minecraft?
Well, today, let's build our own tree fort, IRL.
It'll have tons of space for our whole merry crew, booby traps to thwart our enemies, and of course, a huge closet for all our green tights.
Sounds fun, eh?
Well, let's get started.
Or if you're dealing with a bully, WWRD.
He'd say get back at them with style.
Yo, Robin here with my prank crew, the Merry Men.
The Sheriff of Nottingham is about to try and steal money from the church donations box.
Again.
But this time, we took out the money and filled it with wasps.
Let's see what happens.
I'm so great, the poor are gross.
Time to take their money and buy a new coin purse.
Eat gas!
Get away!
No!
We really got him good.
Classic Robin.
He loves a good prank.
Like the time he wore a disguise to enter an archery contest just so he could whoop the sheriff's butt and prove he was number one without getting arrested.
The first known mention of Robin Hood is from the 1300s, but it's likely that the legend is even older than that.
Now, no one knows if Robin was a real person, a made-up story, or some combination of the two.
But at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter because we're the ones who give the story meaning in how we tell it.
That's why there's so many different versions, from ballads and books to cartoons and movies.
Personally, I'd love to see a political take on Robin Hood.
Robin, Robin!
Is it true you've left the outlaw life to run for office?
Yes, yes I have.
And if I'm elected mayor of Nottingham, I promise to steal from the rich and give to the poor.
In the form of an aggressive progressive tax on high-income earners, the dividends of which shall be converted into funds for meals for the needy, rent and grocery assistance, protecting our forests, and free archery lessons for all.
Huzzah!
King Arthur did some cool stuff, but he's the definition of a nepo baby.
And keep in mind, this is coming from me.
You know, the girl who works with her dad.
But Arthur's father was a literal king, and he basically got handed his job by a magic sword.
Talk about easy.
Meanwhile, Robin had tons of followers because he worked hard and did good deeds.
He led by example and people loved him for it.
So if you want a hero who celebrates the woods, stands up to bullies, helps the needy, and makes green tights look really good, then ask yourself, WWRD, what would Robin do?
One thing's for sure, he'd win this debate.
Oh, man, you stole all of our hearts there.
Emma, what stood out to you about Jillian's declaration of greatness?
You know, I definitely think WWRD is an important thing to know.
Yep.
What would Robin do?
That is true.
I didn't know that Robin Hood was first mentioned in the 1300s.
That is something that I just learned.
Yeah.
Very cool.
Okay, Kenny, you get 30 seconds to tell us why Robin Hood is really Robin no good.
And your time starts right now.
Well.
Well, it's hard to compete with three archery lessons for everybody if Robin Hood was a leader.
But if Robin Hood was a leader, he'd be King Arthur.
And King Arthur wasn't a nepo baby.
Remember, as a kid, he was raised as a commoner.
He didn't even know his dad was king.
Until he pulled a sword out of a stone, which is a lot harder than it sounds.
I mean, you ever try to pull a sword out of a rock?
That is not an easy thing.
You've got to kind of be destined for that.
Also, yes, Robin Hood does have big closets for his green tights, but I'm pretty sure they have huge closets in Camelot, too.
That's all I'm going to say.
You know, I would just like to clarify that if Robin Hood was king, he would not be King Arthur.
You know, he wouldn't be a king at all.
All right.
Robin Hood, he's a social justice guy.
He is the one that robs kings to give back to the poor.
All right.
He doesn't believe in things like kings.
He wants a fair, equal distribution of wealth.
That's all I'll say about that.
Mm hmm.
Well, coming up, we're going to hear from Kenny and Team King Arthur, but first a quick break.
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Okay, Robin Hood tried to steal his way into our hearts, but now it's King Arthur's turn to be the star of the story.
Kenny, tell us why King Arthur should be the king of this debate.
Are you looking for a hero?
Yes, please.
A hero who can harness the power of teamwork?
It makes the dream work.
Yes, it does.
A hero who also has access to magic?
Ooh.
And has captured human imagination for over a thousand years?
You know it.
Then let me tell you the tale of one of the coolest characters in British folklore, the one, the only, King Arthur!
Now, before he became king, Arthur, the boy, was raised by Merlin, a powerful wizard.
His real father, however, was Uther Pendragon, the then king of England.
But Merlin raised Arthur to protect him from people who wanted to become king.
And when Uther died, struggle broke out over who would take his place until Merlin presented everyone with a magical sword trapped in a magical stone.
And on the stone was this inscription.
Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone is the right wise born king of all England.
And guess who pulleth the swordeth from the stoneth?
That's right, our boy Arthur.
That sword is named Excalibur because in epic legends, even the swords need cool names.
Am I right?
So Arthur becomes king, uniting all of Britain and assembling a team of knights, an A-team of knights.
They gather around the literally iconic round table, which is a table that has no head.
So everybody sitting at it are held to the same standards and are of equal status.
And oh boy.
Boy, do things go great.
King Arthur's reign is seen as a golden time in history.
He united groups that used to be at war.
He saw the value in all people in his kingdom, not just the nobles.
And justice and chivalry and peace reigned.
So for a long time, it was like 10 out of 10 as far as kingdoms go.
But a story cannot become a legend without some drama.
One of Arthur's knights, Sir Lancelot, betrays King Arthur by having an affair with Arthur's wife, Queen Guinevere.
This breaks the trust of the round table.
Lancelot flees.
Arthur pursues him.
Civil war breaks out in England.
It's messy soap opera stuff, but...
I think it makes Arthur relatable and real.
Now, during the fighting, King Arthur is gravely wounded and he's put on a boat and sent to the magical Isle of Avalon.
And he is never seen again.
Yeah, the ending was left a little vague, so there's a chance he could come back when England needs him most.
That's why King Arthur's called the Once and Future King.
Cool legend, am I right?
So cool.
Now, there is debate over whether King Arthur was actually a real person.
Most historians say no, but there are accounts from as far back as 830 CE of a king who united the Britons against the Saxons.
But, you know, in my mind, that doesn't matter at all.
It's the legend and the story of King Arthur that is powerful in its own right, because this story provides an example of what good leadership really looks like.
His legend has inspired stories for hundreds of years and still inspires leaders today.
Sure, yes, Robin Hood helped out some people, but King Arthur united people, shaped culture, and entertained us for a very long time.
He's magical, mysterious, flawed, and chivalrous.
King Arthur is a hero for the ages indeed.
Wow.
That was a rip-roaring, sword-pulling argument there for King Arthur.
Emma, what stood out to you about Kenny's argument?
King Arthur definitely united everyone, and it really did help to have the roundtable so everyone is equal and everyone has equal voice in anything that he's talking about.
And I definitely like how he is the once and future king.
Absolutely.
Okay, Jillian, it's time for your rebuttal.
You've got 30 seconds to dethrone King Arthur, and your time starts now.
Okay, let me make sure I'm hearing this right.
So this guy had a magic sword, a wizard friend, and a round table full of knights.
Right.
Right.
So is he actually a hero or did he just have a lot of good connections?
Because it sounds like to me he was just the king of networking.
He surrounded himself with a lot of really talented people and used that to build his own legacy.
But meanwhile, my boy Robin, he's out in the woods.
He's doing the actual work, okay?
He's making his own decisions.
He's fighting his own battles.
He doesn't have any magic weapons.
And he's making life better for the people who truly need help.
Oof.
Boom!
Jill, I gotta wonder how those sour grapes taste.
I mean, let's, let's, I mean, you know, we're a little jealous here.
Come on!
King Arthur, yes, he is a royal, but Sir Robin of Loxley?
Was no slouch himself
Yes and yes they both had their posses their teams their friend
I like how king arthur made sure that everybody was on equal footing even though he was a king and i like how he used unlike king john his royal power to try to unite england instead of just you know taxing the heck out of the poor
Yeah, until his own man betrayed him and Civil War broke out.
Matters of the heart, man.
You need a little drama.
Minor detail.
You need a little drama.
Matters of the heart.
You know, love is love.
It's hard to promote peace when you have Civil War happening.
Yeah.
Like I said, you can't.
It's hard to control matters of the heart.
I get that.
You can't blame King Arthur for what Lancelot did.
If you got a romantic issue, a little love triangle, you got to work that out and not involve the whole country.
That's all I'm saying.
I don't disagree.
But like I said, there's this is why it's drama and human.
And he was a real person.
You know what I mean?
He seemed like a real person.
There was a whole.
He is a real person, a real flawed person.
And my man Robin Hood is a hero.
Oh my gosh.
Emma, Kenny, and Jillian have given you a lot, a lot to think about.
So much.
But I'm so sorry to say that only one of them can get a point for the Declaration of Greatness, but we're also looking for a point for your favorite rebuttal.
So please give one point to the Declaration of Greatness that you liked best and one point to the rebuttal that won you over.
You get to decide what makes it
Winning argument did one team have cooler facts did another team make you see something in a new light
Award your points but don't tell us who they're going to have you made your decision
Yes i have excellent kenny and jillian how are you two feeling so far
You know, I'm feeling pretty good.
You know, at my round table over here, everything is even.
I'm loving it.
I'm going to make my desk completely round, actually.
I think from now on, that's what I'm going to do.
Well, I can't wait for that round table desk to crack because Robin Hood has got this in the bag.
I'm feeling confident.
All right, it's time for a quick break.
Pull a sword from a stone and then redistribute some wealth.
And we'll be right back with some more Smash Boom Best.
You're listening to State of Debate, home to rage and rhetoric and awe-inspiring argumentation.
Hey, yo, and welcome to the show.
I'm Taylor the Tinkering Lincoln.
And I'm Todd the Rug Douglas.
Rug?
Yeah, I'm plush, comforting, and I like lying on the floor.
Plus, I love feet.
You love feet?
I do.
Think how much they do for you every single day.
The burden they carry.
Are you calling my body a burden?
No, but sometimes your feet need a break.
Taylor, stop the tinkering.
I'm serious.
Put down that broken toaster and take a load off.
Todd, are you feeling okay?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
But I just heard a doozy of a fallacy.
The enemy of a good argument.
And this one is a foot fallacy.
Okay, let's hear it.
The two voices you're about to hear are my own two feet talking to each other.
Hit it.
Ugh, I have a bunion.
What's that?
Like a toe ring or something?
I've always wanted a toe ring.
With inlaid turquoise.
No, it's a medical condition.
What?
I've never heard of a bunion before.
I've heard Todd talk about onions.
He likes to eat them raw, apparently.
A bunion is a painful bump, and it's on the side of my big toe.
You are toe-tally silly, Lefty.
Bunions, uh...
Not a thing.
Just because you haven't heard the word bunion doesn't make my pain any less real.
Lefty, aka my left foot, is right.
My right foot is wrong.
Yep.
Your right foot used the personal incredulity fallacy.
Just because they don't know what a bunion is doesn't mean bunions don't exist.
I know.
My feet have been fighting a lot recently.
I need to take them to couples therapy.
You do that, Todd.
But maybe, in the interim, take a nap.
Yeah, then my tootsies will get some rest as well.
Maybe I'll indulge in my rug-like nature and nap on the floor.
All right, well, okay.
This has been... State of Debate!
Smash Boom Best.
You're listening to Smash Boom Best.
I'm your host, Molly Bloom.
And I'm your judge, Emma.
And we love getting debate suggestions from our listeners like this one.
So my name is Frankie and I live in Ontario, Canada in King City.
And my debate idea is Messi versus Ronaldo.
This one has been suggested by lots of soccer fans.
It sure has.
We'll hear who Frank thinks should win at the end of the show.
And now, back to our debate.
King Arthur versus Robin Hood.
Yes, and now it's time for round two.
The...
Micro round.
It's time for a fact off.
Kenny and Jillian will each get three chances to make a micro argument backed by a cool fact or idea.
Jillian went first last round, so Kenny, please start us off with your first fact.
Okay.
Like all great leaders, part of what makes King Arthur a great character is that he is inspiring.
The Legend of King Arthur has staying power.
It has inspired retellings.
The Sword in the Stone, that classic animated film.
The musical Camelot.
Tons and tons of movies.
King Arthur was played by...
Sean Connery.
There was a Shrek movie based on King Arthur.
There was a direct-to-DVD movie, Scooby-Doo, The Sword and the Scoob.
Okay, I kind of made that one up by myself.
And he even had his own PBS Kids TV show where he disguised himself as an aardvark who went to elementary school.
Yes.
Yes.
Arthur.
Yeah.
He even wore glasses.
Can we get a fact check, please?
Oh, come on.
Come on.
Did anyone review this?
Baxter Bunny.
That's a Lancelot if there ever was one.
Come on.
Buster Bunny.
Whatever his name was.
Yeah.
Yeah.
One cool thing about Robin Hood is even though he may be a story, the places are real.
Sherwood Forest and Nottingham are actual locations in England.
And there's even a real Sheriff of Nottingham.
It's a ceremonial title currently held by a woman named Counselor Audrey Dinnell.
She loves cycling, helps clear trash on roadways, and during COVID, she delivered meals to the elderly.
Sounds like this sheriff is taking a page out of Robin's book.
King Arthur actually, as I said before, inspired real people.
Henry VII, father of Henry VIII, actually was so into King Arthur and Arthurian legend that he actually went back in his royal family tree and dated to prove that he was descended from King Arthur himself.
He even had his own round table built that he used, and he named his first son Arthur.
Arthur, although we know that actually Arthur never became king, his second son, Henry VIII, did become king.
Hmm.
So one of Robin's most famous tricks is when he shoots an arrow right down the middle of another arrow, essentially splitting it tail to tip.
The TV show Mythbusters tried to use all the science and engineering they had to recreate the shot and they failed.
But archers say that it is possible to lodge an arrow in the back of another arrow, even if it doesn't exactly split the first one in half.
It's the equivalent of a hole-in-one for golfers, and it's called pulling a Robin Hood.
See?
He inspires everyone, even archers.
That's cool.
OK, so a lot of other famous people loved and have been inspired by King Arthur, especially the roundtable concept, the idea where everyone is equal.
Leaders from around the world have done it.
I don't know if if you're old enough or but your parents or your grandparents will certainly remember JFK, John F. Kennedy.
He had a fixation.
For King Arthur and Camelot.
In fact, his wife described his presidency as Camelot.
JFK loved the musical as well as Arthurian legend and the idea of a roundtable where everyone is equal.
It was a concept that I think a lot of leaders today in democracy really still embrace.
All right, cool fact here about Maid Marian.
She is way more than just a love interest.
She actually started out as the subject of her own stories before she came part of Robin Hood lore.
And it wasn't until both were popular figures that they were put in the same stories.
Team up of the millennium.
Plus, she's smart and daring and seen as Robin's equal.
Pretty progressive stuff for a centuries-old story.
Hmm.
Very nice.
Emma, which facts stood out to you from this micro round?
I really liked hearing about the arrow splitting, because I knew Mythbusters had failed, and I kind of forgot that you could actually do it, but I love doing that, and that's really cool.
And I'm really sad that there's not a real Scooby-Doo movie about King Arthur.
You really raised my hopes for this.
I was about to go look it up.
I was like, man, I want to see this.
No, you guys, it is a real movie.
Is it?
It is.
Scooby-Doo, the sword and the scoop is a real movie.
It's sword and scoop.
You didn't know that?
It's Arthur that's made up.
No, I thought you made it up.
I thought that was fake.
Nope.
2021, direct-to-DVD animated comedy.
Well, now I got to go watch it.
That's so fun.
The sword and the scoop.
If we come away from nothing else, let it be that.
Okay.
It is time to award a point, Emma.
But please don't tell us who it's going to.
Thank you.
You made your decision?
I think so.
Wonderful.
Keep it secret and we'll be right back.
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Thanks.
We are back and we're jumping right in because it's time for Sneak Attack.
This is our improvised round where debaters have to respond to a challenge on the spot.
Today's challenge is spell it out.
We want you to write a sentence where if you take the first letter of each word, it spells out your side.
So for Jillian, that's R-O-B-I-N-H-O-O-D.
And for Kenny, that's K-I-N-G-A-R-T-H-U-R. Now, Kenny has an extra letter.
So, Emma, you can decide if that's an advantage or a disadvantage for this particular challenge.
All right, Jillian, you are up first.
Let's hear your sentence spelling it out for Robin Hood.
Rob only bullies in nature.
Help only out of work dudes.
Nice.
Very good.
Wait, can I hear the second half?
Hood.
Okay.
Help only out of work dudes.
Out of work.
Out of work.
Hyphenated.
Some dashes.
Yes.
Hyphenated.
Excellent.
Okay, Kenny, let's hear yours for King Arthur.
Kids in Normandy get all rowdy towards heirs of Uther's reign.
Ooh, very nice.
Can I hear the second half of that one too, Arthur?
Kids in Normandy get all rowdy towards heirs of Uther's reign.
Hmm.
Well, these are two really good sentences, honestly.
They're excellent.
But, Emma, only one of them can get a point.
You get to decide the criteria here.
Did someone make a well-crafted sentence?
Did someone make you laugh?
Did someone make you think?
Whatever it is, just a word or point.
Have you made up your mind?
Yes, I have.
Wonderful.
Then it's time for the...
The Final Six.
In this round, each team will have just six words to sum up the glory of their side.
Kenny, you're up first.
Tell us why King Arthur is the king of hearts-ther.
Oh, I like that.
Yes.
Role model, relatable, historical, love, leadership, loss.
Very nice.
Jillian, it's your last chance to show what's good about Robin Hood.
All right.
Fight rich, feed poor, wear tights.
That's all you need to know.
Very nice.
Okay, Emma, time to award a final point for this final six.
Have you made your decision?
Yes, I have.
Tally up those points emma are you ready to crown one side the smash boom best yes excellent okay emma drum roll please
And the winner is robin hood oh oh oh robin hood robin hood robin hood robin hood
Oh my goodness.
Okay, Emma, what was the moment that decided things for Robin Hood?
It was the final six.
You guys were tight.
It was tight.
It was the tights.
Can't compete with tights.
There were tights and it was tight.
Amazing.
Well, Dad, you know, you put up a good fight.
You really you really tried your best.
King Arthur, he is a honorable dude.
You know, I have to say he really did do a lot and he redefined what good leadership was.
And I think we can learn a lot from King Arthur and you can learn a lot from this loss today in the fact that.
Your daughter just beat you for the second time on smash.
Thank you.
Thanks.
That's fine.
Second time.
Second time.
You got to have us back.
I need a three.
Oh yeah.
Jillian – yeah, I mean that was a really well-crafted argument.
I'm impressed at the way you leaned in with the tights.
You didn't go too technical.
You made it fun.
You displayed a lot of intelligence, a lot of wit, and a lot of the skills and positive attributes that you've clearly inherited from your father.
So I –
I really am proud of you.
And I...
Begrudgingly, think that you won.
Fine.
Aww.
Very sweet.
Thanks, Dad.
That's it for today's debate battle.
Emma crowned Robin Hood the Smash Boom best, but what about you?
Head to smashboom.org and vote to tell us who you think won.
Vote for the round table!
This episode was produced by me, Molly Bloom, Saniton, and Mark Sanchez.
It was sound designed by Rachel Reese, and Mark Sanchez wrote our theme song.
We had engineering help from Jake Perlman.
Our announcer is Marley Feuerwerker-Otto, and we want to give a special thanks to Austin Cross and Taylor Kaufman.
Kenny, is there anyone you'd like to give a shout out to today?
Yes, King Arthur!
Vote for King Arthur!
Arthur wins!
Arthur forever!
Also, centaurs!
Let it go!
Centaurs still are cool!
Yes, go find Centaurs versus Pegasuses to hear Jillian and Kenny's first debate.
And how about you, Jillian?
Any special shout-outs?
I'd like to say thank you and shout out to all the daughters out there.
I did this for all of us.
We can one day grow up to defeat our dads twice on podcast debate shows.
Also, Everett and Kendall, my kids, love you.
I will never debate you because I have talked too much smack now.
And Emma, how about you?
Any special thanks for shout outs?
I'd like to thank my family, my mom, my dad, my two brothers, Pike and Jack, and all my friends, as well as Kenny, Jillian, Molly, and everyone who's a part of Smash Room Best for making all of this happen.
Aw, that's so nice.
Before we go, let's check in and see who Frank thinks should win the Messi versus Ronaldo debate.
I think Messi should win because he is my favorite soccer player.
He's my favorite soccer player because he's one of the best soccer players in the world.
Well, King Arthur's more like Messi than Ronaldo.
I mean, think about it.
If you're between the ages of 13 and 18 and you'd like to be a judge, or if you're any age and you have an idea for a knock-down, drag-out debate,
Head to smashboom.org slash contact to drop us a line.
And if you're a fan of the show and want to keep it going, head to smartypass.org to subscribe.
We'll be back next week with a new Smash Boom Best episode, Waterparks vs. Trampoline Parks.
Goodbye.
Bye, see you later.
Farewell, my lords and leaders.
What's Robin Hood's bow's name?
Nothing?
He doesn't even have a bow.
Excalibur is a sword with a name.
It doesn't need a name.
It doesn't need a name.
It's just bow.
Like fill the bow?
Because he's the power, not the tool.
What is it, like David Bow?
Or David Bowie?
David Bowie.
Actually, David Bowie would be kind of a cool name.
Never mind.
Forget I said that.
Forget it.
I love that.