Some episodes feel like a planned show. This one feels like two friends got near a microphone and immediately chose nonsense. Snackin’ & Yakkin’ Episode 40 brings back Apples (the first return guest) for snack experiments, road-dog comedy talk, and the kind of life advice that starts with, “Don’t buy gas station chocolate milk.”

Pants, “Daisy Dukes,” and flirting with demonetization

Apples shows up with the kind of announcement that makes you check your headphones: he wore pants. Actual pants. Not the shorts that get you labeled “problematic” by a platform algorithm that can’t tell the difference between comedy and chaos.

Ben, as the calm voice of reason (sort of), points out it’s been a while since the show came close to getting demonetized. That becomes the running joke right away: if you say the wrong thing, the internet gods swing down like, “Not today, buddy.”

The tone is set fast: the teasing is affectionate, the jokes are dumb on purpose, and both of them know exactly what kind of show this is. It’s “snacking and yacking,” not “Let’s carefully maintain a professional brand identity.”

Then Ben also drops the classic podcast call to action with a very specific bribe: subscribe, follow, comment, and share, and you might get the corner brownie piece with the crusty edge. That’s a weirdly perfect promise for a snack podcast. It’s low-stakes, snack-focused, and just competitive enough to make you want it.

If you want the ongoing clips and chaos outside the episode, follow Snackin’ & Yakkin’ on Instagram. The show lives in that sweet spot where the snack table is real, the jokes are fast, and nobody pretends they aren’t just having fun.

Apples returns for Episode 40, and Ben’s “longest” Charleston friendship

This is episode 40, and Apples is the first guest to come back. He was on episode 3, which makes this feel like a check-in with somebody who was there when the whole thing was still new, scrappy, and probably held together with optimism and a spare HDMI cable.

Ben introduces Apples the way you introduce a friend you’ve known forever: comedian, friend, philanthropist (said with a grin), basically Tony Stark, and also his “longest” friend in Charleston. He means oldest friendship, but he also can’t resist the tall-guy angle. The joke keeps working because it’s obviously real; these two have history.

They even get sidetracked on sports numbers because that’s what guys do when they realize a number sounds important. Ben tries to remember whether Jackie Robinson was 41 or 42, then immediately admits he spoke with confidence he didn’t have. That might be the unofficial motto of standup and podcasting.

Ben also shouts out how the show has grown. There have been guests from all over, including Canadians, plus business owners, entrepreneurs, and people who show up with snacks like they’re presenting evidence in court.

A big part of the show’s vibe is the Patreon community, the “Snack Attackers,” whose photos appear behind Ben in the video version. If you want that kind of behind-the-scenes fun (and the $5 bragging rights), the home base is Snackin’ & Yakkin’ on Patreon.

Like, subscribe, and join the Patreon isn’t just a line here. It’s basically the snack tax that keeps the pantry stocked.

The snack table becomes a science lab: Cocorolls, Yoo-hoo, and Combos

This episode’s snack lineup has a theme: road-trip comfort food, plus one “Wait, can we use that as a straw?” experiment.

Apples brings Sun Tropics Cocorolls, salted caramel flavor, the kind of snack that sounds fancy until you remember it’s still a roll-shaped cookie you’re about to dunk into a chocolate drink. He also admits they came from Publix, which turns into a quick “tell me you’re rich” joke because Publix has that reputation, even when you’re only there for cookies and survival groceries.

If you’re curious what they’re talking about, here’s the exact product: Sun Tropics Cocorolls, Salted Caramel at Publix.

The drink is Yoo-hoo, chosen for one reason: it’s shelf-stable, so it doesn’t carry the same “this might’ve been warm in the back room for three days” risk that Apples says he’s run into with gas station chocolate milk. Yoo-hoo, as they point out, is basically too determined to survive.

Then come the Combos, which Apples calls his favorite snack. Specifically, he loves the pairing of Combos and chocolate milk after comedy gigs. It’s the kind of snack combo that feels like a reward for doing a set, driving late, and questioning your life choices at a convenience store checkout.

To make the snack experiment easy to scan, here’s the quick breakdown they prove on camera:

1. They try the Cocorolls as a Yoo-hoo straw (because the center is hollow).
2. It works, but you have to tilt and commit, since you pull some air too.
3. The flavor shifts mid-bite, going from “where’s the cocoa?” to “Oh wow, that’s coconut,” fast.

Ben, famously, loves salty and sweet, and this snack hits that lane.

This little table sums up the roles each snack plays in the episode:

The big takeaway: Cocorolls surprisingly work as a straw, and Combos absolutely do not.

They also swap snack trauma stories. Apples talks about his brother drinking from a Yoo-hoo glass bottle that cracked near the rim, which led to glass in his mouth and, apparently, a payout. Ben counters with a story about his mom finding plastic pieces in Edy’s ice cream, supposedly from Wild Wild West character molds, and only getting coupons in return. The lesson is clear: check your packaging, and don’t expect justice, expect coupons.

Snackin’ & Yakkin’ highlights: favorite snacks, repeat popcorn, and the “easy edit” guest

When Ben gets asked about favorite guests, he dodges it like a seasoned professional. No “best guest” list, no “worst guest” list, no ranking humans like they’re flavors of chips. Instead, he talks about the guests who make his life easier after the fact.

Ben edits the show himself, so his real love language is an episode that doesn’t need much cleanup. The guests who show up ready to play, especially the ones who have watched or listened before, tend to give him episodes where the conversation flows and most of what they say can stay in.

That’s the unspoken rule of any conversational show. Bring energy, pay attention, and don’t make the host do surgery in post.

Then they switch to a safer ranking category: snacks. Ben calls out a few standouts from past episodes, including a charcuterie board episode from Graze Craze. He also mentions trying Rap Snacks (rapper-branded chips) with Lil Craig, eating Hawaiian pizza because Sara Meagan requested it, and doing boneless chicken wings from Wingstop with Michael Clayton.

The real recurring character across 40 episodes is popcorn. Ben estimates five or six episodes have featured it, which leads to the kind of medical joke you only make after eating enough kernels to fear your own digestive system.

It’s also a small window into what the show does best: it makes room for guests to bring their own thing. Sometimes it’s a snack from childhood. Other times it’s a full meal. Either way, the snack is just the excuse to talk.

If you want to keep up with new episodes as they drop, start with Snackin’ & Yakkin’ on YouTube. The video version adds the extra layer: seeing the snacks, watching the straw experiment, and catching the “did he really just say that?” moments before they get beeped.

Comedy work, local scene reality, and the “Ubers of comedy” problem

Under the jokes, this episode has a lot of real talk about comedy life in a smaller market.

Ben and Apples both had a strong year performing locally, and Apples takes some credit for pushing Ben out of the house and back into doing more shows. Ben talks about renting office space and building the studio setup, which is funny in its own way because he admits he still needs to be inside four walls at all times. Some people are “outdoorsy.” Ben is “roof-adjacent.”

They also talk about working together on New Year’s Eve, plus the post-show ritual of getting home in time for the ball drop and the kiss, powered by pure adrenaline and questionable driving speed. Somewhere in that story is the detail that Ben bought multiple giant soft pretzels and basically cleared them out like a pretzel-related heist.

Then the conversation shifts into the grind: Apples mentions working brutal shifts (including a 48-hour stretch), and Ben compares that kind of job rhythm to long stretches of boredom mixed with short moments of panic. Apples says his isn’t scary, but he does get anxious when no calls come in because he knows something will happen eventually.

When they zoom back out to the comedy scene, Apples describes what it’s like competing with big systems, the “Ubers and Lyfts of comedy,” meaning traveling formats that can drop into a market with a plug-and-play structure. He’s worked with some of them and gives credit where it’s due, but the pressure is real if you’re trying to produce something local, consistent, and special.

He also makes a point that cuts through a lot of ego:

The job isn’t to do therapy on stage, it’s to make the people in the seats laugh.

That doesn’t mean personal material can’t work. It means the audience still has to have fun.

They even touch on comedy “beefs,” including the silly reality that you can sometimes trace drama to who suddenly gets a thumbs-down on YouTube. Apples insists he doesn’t have beefs. He draws one line: mess with his money, and it’s different. Otherwise, it’s comedy, and most people aren’t paying their mortgage with it.

Movie theaters, snack smuggling, and why improv can hurt your feelings

Because this is Snackin’ & Yakkin’, the talk eventually drifts into movies and sneaking food into theaters, which is basically a hobby for anyone who has ever looked at a $9 box of candy and felt personally attacked.

Ben and Apples bond over Bowfinger, the Eddie Murphy and Steve Martin movie they both love, including favorite lines and that wild freeway-running scene. If you want to chase the quotes they’re referencing, Bowfinger quotes on IMDb is the easiest rabbit hole.

Then they trade “most ambitious theater snack” stories: Apples smuggling in a full Taco Bell party pack, and another person in the room claiming a whole bucket of KFC chicken during a midnight showing of Misery, back when smoking in theaters was still a thing. Somebody also admits to bourbon in soda during Inception, which is either a great idea or the start of a confusing three hours, depending on your brain.

The improv talk hits next, and it’s surprisingly honest. Apples mentions leaving an improv show early once because it was that painful, and he explains why: improv works when people sacrifice their own “look at me” instincts to serve the scene. Ben backs that up with a story from Theatre 99 involving a trap door and an “alligator pit” bit that turned a character’s fears into escalating jokes.

For anyone curious about the Charleston improv spot they mention, here’s the venue: Theatre 99 Charleston improv shows and classes. Apples even says he took two levels of classes and failed the second. Ben’s response is basically, “That means you didn’t do the work,” which is a very friend thing to say, and also kind of true with improv.

They also circle back to the “homebody” problem. Getting to a show can feel far when it’s 25 miles away and gas costs what it costs. Still, both of them agree they need to hang out more, see more movies, and share more stages.

Why this episode feels weirdly wholesome (even with nuclear “shapes” jokes)

Near the end, the episode turns into one long friendship toast. Apples gives Ben real credit for building a studio that looks as polished as big podcasts, and he compares Ben’s ability to make guests interesting to Howard Stern’s style. Ben likes that idea because it means the show doesn’t have an expiration date. He can keep doing it for decades if he wants.

They also talk about why it matters even if it never becomes “a thing.” The show is a time capsule. It’s proof of a season of life, a scene, a set of friendships, and a lot of snacks that probably didn’t need to be eaten on mic, but got eaten anyway.

That time capsule theme spirals into prepping talk because Apples has been on Doomsday Preppers, and he’s still a “keep a bag ready” guy. Shoes, clothes, basics, one grab-and-go bag in case life catches fire, literally. Ben counters with the mental image of being the naked guy in the yard during a house fire, which somehow becomes a whole bit about firefighters and a hose.

Then comes the last absurd button: when the nuclear flash hits, don’t do math, don’t do a thumbs-up test, just yell “shapes” and pose like the Egyptian. It’s dumb. It’s also memorable, which is the entire point of the show.

Before you bounce, keep up with the episode drops and clips on the show’s other socials: Snackin’ & Yakkin’ on Facebook, Snackin’ & Yakkin’ on Twitter, and Snackin’ & Yakkin’ on TikTok. If you’ve got a chaotic snack combo suggestion, their VM line is (607) MY SNACK (607-697-6225).

Conclusion

Episode 40 works because it’s messy in the best way: real friends, real comedy shop talk, and snacks that accidentally turn into props. The Cocorolls straw test is the headline, but the deeper thread is two comics pushing each other to get out, book more, and keep making stuff. If you want to support the show, like, subscribe, and join the Patreon, then drop your most unhinged snack pairing idea on the VM line for a future episode.

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