185. Twinkies Anniversary Episode

Dan, Manny, & Billy celebrate the anniversary of the Twinkie by putting this classic snack to the ultimate test—THE NOSTALGIA TEST!   “The literal first ingredient is sugar, even before flour.” -Billy D’Elia   The food episodes are back with a vengeance as the boys test their childhood and stomachs with the Twinkie. So many god memories, so many tangents, and let’s not forget Billy’s kickass hat, “IMMIGRANTS MAKE AMERICA GREAT!” Because the f***in do! The guys talk about the possibly poisonous ingredients, what it was like top track Twinkles down, how Hostess was taken over by the Mexican company Bimbo, and the history of Twinkies being filled with banana cream pre-WWII. Then they eat them, and, well, you’ll have to listen to see the reactions because it’s the greatest reactions to food in the podcast’s history. They guys also talk about their childhood memories of Entenmann's cakes and chocolate chip cookies, the Ghostbusters Twinkie reference, and they read the results of the online poll. Oh, and wait for a sort of “secret track” to get Dan. Manny, & Billy’s off the mic reactions. So, grab a tall glass of strawberry milk, stare into the abyss of despair that is 2026, and get ready to go on a gastric nostalgia test journey like no other. Special shoutout to Beleafer CBD for getting Dan through this episode. Email us ([email protected]) your thoughts, opinions, & episode idea for The Wheel of Nostalgia! Suggest A Test & Be Our Guest! We're always looking for a fun new topic for The Nostalgia Test. Hit the link above, tell us what you'd like to see tested, and be our guest for that episode!   Approximate Rundown 00:00 Cold Open Chaos 00:17 Twinkie Myth Setup 00:52 Podcast Intro Twinkie Test 01:23 Text Thread vs Podcast 02:07 Vaping Sponsor Tangent 02:35 Why Food Hits Different Now 03:21 Twinkie Obsession Memories 04:04 Ingredients and Dye Rant 05:10 Hunting for Twinkies 08:06 Captain Crunch Mouth Cuts 08:47 Regional Snacks and Mann's 11:09  Entenmann's Cookie Debate 12:24 Ghostbusters Pop Culture 13:32 Twinkie Origin Story Stats 16:43 Bankruptcy and Iconic Junk Food 17:34 Hostess Snack Cake Roll Call 18:07 Snack Cake Throwbacks 18:46 Unwrapping Road Trip Classics 19:18 Shrinkflation And Smell Test 20:02 Recipe Change Reveal 21:16 First Bite Reality Check 23:00 Nutrition Label Shock 24:08 Rant And Better Alternatives 31:03 Instagram Poll Results 34:00 Final Verdict And Aftermath   Book The Nostalgia Test Podcast Bring The Nostalgia Test Podcast's high energy fun and comedy on your podcast, to host your themed parties & special events!  The Nostalgia Test Podcast will create an unforgettable Nostalgic experience for any occasion because we are the party! We bring it 100% of the time! Email us at [email protected] or fill out the form at this link. LET'S GET NOSTALGIC!       Keep up with all things The Nostalgia Test Podcast on Instagram | Substack | Discord | TikTok | Bluesky | YouTube | Facebook   The intro and outro music ('Neon Attack 80s') is by Emanmusic. The Lithology Brewing ad music ("Red, White, Black, & Blue") is by PEG and the Rejected