Mel & Jill Geek Out

Jill and Mel start the episode with a mini digress into doggie anxiety and a plea to Kylie Kelce to be our friend. (We have great conversations and excellent snacks… just saying.) The besties get down to brass tacks with the final part of the reunion for season 11 of VPR. The reunion covers a lot of ground throughout the season. Interesting conversations are had with the cast that include Jax & Brittney, the ‘one who got away’ for Schwartz, and just about every cast member’s relationship with Sandoval. Has he seen the error of his ways? Nope. By far the most emotional aspect of the episode is when Lala doubles down on her rant about Ariana. The besties discuss the future of VPR and if they would even watch if there was a season 12. Who knows… maybe we’ll get the James & Ally spinoff we’ve all been dreaming of. Have a suggestion on what we should cover next? Hit us up at jillandmellgeekout@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram @melnjillgeekout Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.

Mel & Jill kick off the episode with mildly hot takes about the 30th Anniversary Lion King performance at the Hollywood Bowl. Then they dive right into chapter 46 of Iron Flame. The plot finally starts to pick up and a lot of things happen in a short period of time. Cat and Violet get into a fight (this time in the sparring gym), we have a very nice spicy scene in a throne room, and Violet goes back to her roots and starts at the beginning. The war is intensifying and Violet is desperate to get the wards up, but there’s a new cost to that plan - the gryphon riders. We do get a bit closer on the process to actually raise the wards, but they’re all still missing some crucial information that happens to be right in front of their faces (literally). Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.

What better way to start the episode than a huge congratulations to Katie and Ariana on the grand opening of Something About Her and a good gossip sesh?! Part 2 of the reunion covers a lot of ground from the season. The cast examines their friendships, boundaries, and relationships with each other. We learn more about Jo and what the cast really thinks about her and Schwartz’s relationship. Ally & James get a good chunk of the episode, which really highlights their strength as a couple, but also his growth as a person. Who would have thought that back in Season 1 we would be seeing a sober VPR cast and water tastings? Probably for the better… Anne gets a bullet point in the episode, which we love. We end on the Attempted Dog Murder incident and the custody of pets. Per usual, James punctuates the final moments of the episode with his quick wit. Have a suggestion on what we should cover next? Hit us up at jillandmellgeekout@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram @melnjillgeekout Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.

In what other Pod would you get an episode that includes a little bit of everything? Mel & Jill have a very windy road where they touch on which fictional characters they would pick for president and Jill’s traumatic experience with coconut as a pre-schooler. Bridgerton’s classical spin on hit pop songs leads to the Besties reminiscing about being in the Band. They move on to gushing about their favorite A&E programming, a lot of which centers around crime. They wrap up the episode talking about their love/hate relationships with the myriad of streaming services available. Have a suggestion on what we should cover next? DM us or hit us up at jillandmellgeekout@gmail.com Make sure to follow us on Instagram @melnjillgeekout and TikTok @melandjillgeekout Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.

How else do we start off an episode but a Taylor Swift update? We talk the new TTPD Era’s Tour segment and yet another suspected announcement, which will likely not be real. We touch on the ridiculousness that is the commencement speech of the KC Chiefs kicker with a nice segue into Anne and her Duracell commercial. The reunion starts off per usual with a mini update from the cast, but Mel & Jill jump right to the legal stuff. They can’t talk about it, we know they can’t talk about it, so why are we asking them about it? Various topics are covered on the reunion from the typical fluff of ‘your rooms are messy’ to incredibly heavy mental health conversations. The real meat of the reunion comes at the end when Lala and Katie discuss their issues during the season. Mel and Jill break down why they think the cast should drop the 4th wall act and come out and say what they are all dancing around… most of them were jealous and worried for their jobs and were angry when Katie and Ariana refused to jump on the Sandoval train. Bravo already broke the 4th wall, they should just run with it. Have a suggestion on what we should cover next? Hit us up at jillandmellgeekout@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram @melnjillgeekout Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.

The besties start this episode by ranking the F1 drivers, and honestly, the results are not surprising. Episode 9 is our only real glance and Red Bull, but mostly focusing on Alpha Tauri (today known as RB Cash App). Unfortunately, just a few races after getting the set at Alpha Tauri, Danny’s in a crash, which was not his fault, and breaks his wrist and is out for 6 weeks. Enter Liam Lawson, who honestly does a great job. There’s a ton of rumors that they may not bring Danny back, but ultimately they do. It’s only a matter of time Liam! Episode 10 is the big conclusion to the season, and ‘big’ is a very generous word. Most of the season is pretty lackluster at best thanks to Max’s dominance, so Netflix focus the episode on the shitshow that was the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Between track issues (poor Carlos), to a generally unexciting race, the third US race left a lot to be desired. But we jump to Abu Dhabi where honestly, nothing really happens. And they give Guenther a terrible send off. Have a suggestion on what we should cover next? Hit us up at jillandmellgeekout@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram @melnjillgeekout Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.

The besties kick off this episode by recapping the Miami Grand Prix and the Met Gala (those two things definitely go together). The gang is still in San Francisco and the whisky launch party is just around the corner, but first… Dan’s interrogation with the cast, minus Sandoval. We have another awkward encounter with ‘Joseph’ and ‘T-Money’ aka the most awkward non-couple to ever exist. (Jill gets second-hand cringe its so bad.) James & Ally have the sweetest moment discussing their relationship and the besties reflect on just how much James has really grown. Several fights ensue including Jo & Katie, and rando drunk guy, and more. Scheana shoves her lack of musical abilities down the audience’s throat while Mel takes great issue with her outfit choices. The real meat of the episode happens at the end where we see Ariana stand up for herself while maintaining her boundaries and Sandoval continues to act like a worm. It feels like a goodbye to VPR… because really… WTF was that shit? Have a suggestion on what we should cover next? Hit us up at jillandmellgeekout@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram @melnjillgeekout Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.

The Besties kick off this episode talking about some of the fun things happening at the Miami Grand Prix and some other F1 breaking news. Episode 7 takes us back to Alpine and the many, many issues they were having in 2023. Otmar continues to live in delulu land about the state of the team, and it only lasts so long. They literally fire him mid-race weekend (yikes) after they had two double DNFs in a row. But cue Bruno who comes in and seems to put a few things together, mainly forcing Ocon and Gasley to bury their beef in the past where it belongs. And the first race after bringing in Bruno, Alpine gets double points (too bad it didn’t last). Episode 8 is all about the intensity that surrounds Ferrari. With bringing in a new team principal, and the car struggle, the fans of Ferrari are skeptical at best about the future of Ferrari. As the oldest team in F1, there’s a lot of reputation to live up to. But the silly little french man might be the best thing that’s ever happened to Ferrari. Have a suggestion on what we should cover next? Hit us up at jillandmellgeekout@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram @melnjillgeekout Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.

Jill and Mel start the episode with some Sarah J. Maas and Taylor Swift clowning. Will T Swizzle make an appearance at the Miami GP this weekend with Travis Kelce & the Mahomes? Only time will tell. Somehow, the entire episode seems to be about Scheana without actually being about Scheana. We spend the better part of the episode getting ready to go to San Francisco for Kyle Chan’s launch and the rest of the episode having forgiveness forced onto our eyeballs. Bravo - please, we would really rather not watch someone turn her back on the person who has actually been a friend to her. We get a much-needed update on Something About Her and FINALLY get to see Dan on camera. Sandoval continues to be Sandoval. Schwartz makes some bold moves while also giving Jo mixed signals. The besties wrap up the episode with some current VPR news and their thoughts on the future of Season 12, VPR in general, and the fate of the cast after the show ends. Have a suggestion on what we should cover next? Hit us up at jillandmellgeekout@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram @melnjillgeekout Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.

The Besties start the episode with Mel describing the new Netflix DocuSeries ‘What Did Jennifer Do?’ to Jill. (Who, as we all know, prides herself on being able to predict what happens.) She’s kinda right… The besties start with chapter 43 where Tairn drops some important knowledge that no one else seems to take seriously while the flyers and riders complete their ascent on the Cliffs of Dralor. Violet tries to help Luella, ultimately causing Ridoc to get shot. Luella loses her grip and the wyverns attach and make a nice little snack of her gryphon. This doesn’t go over well with Cat and her crew who handle death very differently than the riders. Violet has an electrifying hunch which pays off in the end. Professor Trissa gives everyone a lesson on runes, and what they can really do. Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.

The besties have a mini digress where they begin with being millennial tired, awaiting new books, sad dog stories (including Homeward Bound & Incredible Journey), to tropes. This episode was a weird mish-mash of mature relationships and confrontations ending in an epic fight. James and Ally try to find Hippie a dog-sitter James is comfortable with so he can go with Ally to her best friend’s wedding. So far, no one is good enough for James. We see an interesting dynamic between Katie & Schwartz begin to develop. He’s clearly not over her. The real stars of the were Scheana, Brock, and Jax. Brock & Scheana are actually an adorable couple who clearly care about each other. Unfortunately, Sheana can’t let her control issues go and it is causing a strain on their marriage and Brock. Jax comes in guns blazing ready for a fight, but ultimately we see his mommy issues play out with LVP. And of course, the big blow up at the end between Sandoval and Scheana. Too bad we couldn’t have gotten the Spice Girls Edit. Have a suggestion on what we should cover next? Hit us up at jillandmellgeekout@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram @melnjillgeekout Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.

The besties are back with all the updates for our latest obsessions. Mel & Jill breakdown The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift. We discuss our current favorites, theorize on single selections, and discuss their favorite songs so far. Jill and Mel discuss the Chinese GP and the interesting race & fantasy results. Jill may have broken her fantasy curse. Mel gives us an update on her rewatch of VPR plus a little current news and reality TV scandals. The besties wrap up with discussions on the new Wolverine/Deadpool trailer that dropped today and Mel gives Jill a mini lesson in the X-Men/Marvel universe. Have a suggestion on what we should cover next? DM us or hit us up at jillandmellgeekout@gmail.com Make sure to follow us on Instagram @melnjillgeekout and TikTok @melandjillgeekout Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.

The besties start off the episode excited for the new Taylor Swift album release! Needless to say, the besties have the album pre-saved on Spotify. This episode of VPR honestly felt like yet another filler episode. The truth comes out about the Tom/Ariana house situation (spoiler alert - Ariana was right). Lala picks her sperm donor, and Sandoval asks Schwartz to be his roommate, which he promptly declines. The Katie/Lala fight might have found a resolution, and James tells Tom off in a great way but then decides to be a bigger person. James and Ali have a vulnerable moment on camera, and in general, it was a fairly unexciting episode. Hopefully, next week is better. Have a suggestion on what we should cover next? Hit us up at jillandmellgeekout@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram @melnjillgeekout Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.

Jill is back from the dead! (aka, she was sick last week). The besties kick off the episode with being excited about the new Taylor Swift album, and Mel is finally getting some much needed context for the past seasons of VPR thanks to her rewatch. (Is a full rewatch in our future??) Let’s be honest, not a ton happens in this episode. The besties are still #TeamAriana and no amount of bad editing will change our minds. However, we jump back into the super fun beach day. The love triangle between Tori, Katie, and Schwartz is finally revealed. Jo & Lala meet up at a hot dog stand where she gives her side of the story on her & Schwartz “relationship.” Singles night leads to the downfall of said relationship. Have a suggestion on what we should cover next? Hit us up at jillandmellgeekout@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram @melnjillgeekout Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.

The episode starts off with the very important question of how fast do clouds move. That somehow transforms into if Jill has an accent or not. Which then devolves into Mel telling Jill all about the weird way Texans pronounce and spell things. Somehow the besties then move onto cheese and the regional differences in mexican food. That more understandably moves to weird eating habits. They devolve into tourism and Disney and how much they dislike their respective tourist nonsense.This unfortunately moves to Disney vomit stories and we’re sorry in advance for the yuckiness. They finally get to what was originally going to be their warm-up topic about how Miriam Margolyes (who played Professor Sprout in Harry Potter) had a very hot take about adults liking Harry Potter. But we complete the circle with the besties talking about food again by the end. Have a suggestion on what we should cover next? DM us or hit us up at jillandmellgeekout@gmail.com Make sure to follow us on Instagram @melnjillgeekout and TikTok @melandjillgeekout Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.

The Besties begin the episode discussing the 2024 solar eclipse and how SJM broke Jill’s reading pace. Mel gives us an update on her TBR jar and may just make an exception to her usual rule. We begin with chapter 40, and Mel goes into Felix, who he is, where he may have come from, and his opinions on Carr’s teaching abilities. The besties talk through Violet’s absolute lack of knowledge of her own signet and how that differs from the Violet, they knew in Fourth Wing. Violet then makes another dumb decision to do exactly the opposite of what Xaden told her to. In chapter 41 Jill and Mel talk about how Violet really just ran into this situation completely blind with zero preparation on her part. Xaden beat them there, and the two of them have a whole new reason to argue (about nothing). Violet goes to show off her signet, but is met with a not-so-pleasant surprise. Don’t mind the solid 10 minute tangent about 90’s baseball movies. In Chapter 42 a little bit of a fight ensues, but they do finally get the deal they need for the luminary. But Brennan maybe makes a huge mistake. Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.

The Besties start off with a little update about F1, and the return of Guenther (at least at the Miami Grand Prix). They both are rooting for Yuki at the Japan Grand Prix. We quickly dive into episodes 5 and 6. Episode 5 looks at the tension Alpine, mainly between Estie Bestie and Pierre Gasly. They have some bad blood from literally childhood, and the two just straight up don’t get along. Otmar, the Team Principal, really isn’t helping matters either with stupid PR stunts. Things get so bad that the two wreck each other at the third race of the season. There’s pressure from the team CEO about the antics, and frankly, Otmar doesn’t seem to do anything to try and smooth things over between the two drivers. Ultimately, Gasly kinda gets screwed at Monoco. Episode 6 focuses on Mercedes. After coming off a very challenging season in 2022, Hamilton is starting to show his frustration with the team. When he brings up an issue with the car, he’s pretty much ignored. Toto Wolff and Susie give us a lesson on sportsmanship, while Hamilton continues to get a pretty crummy edit from Netflix. Rumors fly that Hamilton is going to leave Mercedes, but ultimately does resign for 2 more years. We all know how that went. Have a suggestion on what we should cover next? Hit us up at jillandmellgeekout@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram @melnjillgeekout Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.

The Besties kick off the episode covering some of the recent news about the cast of VPR and The Valley (looking at you Jax). Needless to say, this was a major filler episode. Essentially, Ariana and Sandoval fought, and everyone else stood back and watched, awkwardly. Oh, and poor Ann got fired. Or did she? At least Katie and Ariana are there with a good job to help a girl out. Shout out to Lisa and James's mom for being as into all the tea as the rest of us are. Have a suggestion on what we should cover next? Hit us up at jillandmellgeekout@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram @melnjillgeekout Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.

Mel & Jill kick the episode off with the latest Empyrean Series news and Mel gives some teaser theories that the besties will have to dive into once we’ve covered all of Iron Flame. The besties begin Part 2 of Iron Flame and discuss how sibling dynamics, rash teen choices, and early adulthood sex drives can really make for some awkward situations. Andarna finally makes an appearance along with Teine, Mira, and a few other dragons & riders. War college resumes for the cadets, some of whom have a lot of catching up to do. Sibling antics run amok when Mira breaks Brennan’s nose. We see an attempt to raise the wards that ultimately failed, something the Besties think was pretty dang obvious. Have a suggestion on what we should cover next? Hit us up at jillandmellgeekout@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram @melnjillgeekout Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.

The besties dive into episodes of 3 and 4 of Drive to Survive. Mel is very excited that she won all the categories in the fantasy league! They talk through the race results from the Australian Grand Prix. Episode 3 focuses on the issues at McLaren, and the introduction of rookie Oscar Piastri. There’s some mixed feelings about Zak Brown, because he can definitely be a jerk, but he has done a few good things. The McLaren’s recognize that their car won’t really be competitive until mid-season. This leads to lots of rumors about if Lando will resign with McLaren, and there’s a lot of interested teams, including Red Bull (sorry Checo). Zak Brown has to do a lot of ass-kissing to get through the rough patch. Once the upgrades are installed, the cars are significantly better. Episode 4 focuses on Guenther and Haas, and Mel is in her feels. Everything about Haas is bad. The cars are bad, the drivers are good, but they’re struggling this season. Guenther seems pretty over the stress, and Gene Haas. Meanwhile, we’re introduced to the new team principal of Williams, James Vowles. Guenther and Vowles are foils of each other - where Guenther is a classic old-school guy, Vowles is a data guy and more modern. Where Williams also struggles at the beginning of the season, they do improve, whereas Haas doesn’t. Guenther visits Binotto in Italy, and sees what life can look like after Formula One. Have a suggestion on what we should cover next? Hit us up at jillandmellgeekout@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram @melnjillgeekout Mel and Jill are best friends who love to enjoy film, tv, books, and more and talk about them together. All opinions are not associated with the content we’re discussing.