ArieForce One Is Gone: "Save This Ride"

Closing weekend arrived for two very different roller coasters: ArieForce One at Fun Spot Atlanta and Kumba at Busch Gardens Tampa both took their final riders this past weekend, and Mike and EB dig into the real math behind why an $18 million RMC almost never survives in a family entertainment center, no matter how loudly the enthusiast line chants "save this ride." Listener trip reports roll in live from the queue. From there, the news comes in hot: Knott's Berry Farm's long-delayed MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress reportedly cost Six Flags a stunning $20 million for what's ultimately a 1978 shuttle loop with new paint and fog machines (and it's still not open), Universal is demolishing what's left of the beloved Poseidon's Fury show building as the Lost Continent disappears for good, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg drops a sneaky social media tease revealing a full rebuild is coming to the old Corkscrew Hill simulator building. Then the regional parks get serious about Halloween: Kings Island, Carowinds, and Six Flags Great Adventure are all getting a Friday the 13th-themed Jason house, SeaWorld parks are doing I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Busch Gardens is bringing Anaconda to life — which inspires the guys who bring Anaconda's villain Paul Sarone back from the dead to review every snake-named roller coaster in the country. After the break, Mike and EB get into the business side of the show, walking through a full overhaul of Coaster Radio's Patreon tiers — including a new producer-only Discord channel — before wrapping with a water park trip report from Crete and a juicy Screamscape rumor that Kings Island's aging Arrow suspended coaster, The Bat, might be on the chopping block to make room for something new.