Episode 14: Hammocks, Survival Talk, Kam Misner’s Call-Up, and Liquid Fingers In episode 14 of the Almost Experts podcast, Mike and Jake bounce through topics including their ever-changing recording “studio,” Apple Watch annoyances, claustrophobia, hammocks, and camping stories from deer season. They discuss survival content like Bear Grylls, the “Nature Boys” creator, and a MrBeast Antarctica video, then drift into nostalgia about Cha Cha, Ask Jeeves, dial-up internet, early phones, and classic mobile games like Snake, Temple Run, Flappy Bird, and Candy Crush. They react to GTA VI rumors involving AI NPCs and real-world money through crypto, then talk about pennies disappearing and society going cashless. The episode highlights Kam Misner being recalled to the Kansas City Royals, a 76-hour “Hand on the Camper” winner, and coaching stories, including an intentional walk that helped win a district title, before ending with a debate on five liquids to squirt from fingers.

Episode 13: MJ Musical, Nostalgia, Dogs vs Cats, and Building the Perfect Athlete | Mike & Jake: The Almost Experts In Episode 13 of the Mike and Jake Almost Experts podcast, the hosts wing a wide-ranging conversation covering Mike’s St. Louis anniversary trip and seeing a Michael Jackson musical at the Fox Theatre, including memories of MJ’s death in 2009 and buying CDs. They swap nostalgia about Walmart CD purchases, Blockbuster-era rentals, Hastings, and how gaming and technology have changed, then share job stories (Orscheln, first “real” jobs, and meeting Courtney at Missouri Orthopedic Institute). Jake recounts volunteering at Cedar Creek Therapeutic Horse Riding Center and they trade country stories about loose animals, including goats and a donkey on the highway. They debate getting dogs, husky chaos, disliking cats, and dropped-off dogs, then end with a “build the perfect athlete” draft (speed, strength, IQ, clutch, trash talk) and mention Bo Jackson.

Summer Break, Moving Chaos, Cardinals vs. Dodgers Heckling & a Pizza Snake Draft | Episode 12 In Episode 12 of Mike & Jake: The Almost Experts Podcast, the guys return after a few weeks to talk about the end of the school year, chaotic last-week-of-school gym management, and what they’re looking forward to in summer, including yard work and coaching. They share life updates about Jake moving again, driving a 26-foot U-Haul, breaking a gaming monitor, and discovering Walmart delivery, plus a side discussion on selling baseball cards through Whatnot (including Venmo flagging suspicious activity). They recap attending a Cardinals vs. Dodgers game where their friend Colton loudly heckled Dodgers outfielder Kyle Tucker all game, and they briefly discuss crowd energy in sports and Mizzou traditions. They wrap up with a snake draft of favorite pizza types.

Jake’s New Role, Summer Sports Talk, Card Collecting Chaos & Our Top 5 Drinks | Episode 11 Mike and Jake return for Episode 11 of the Almost Experts podcast, catching up on life and summer plans. They celebrate Jake becoming Poplar Bluff’s head athletic director starting July 1, talk about Mike’s family schedule with cheer, dance recital, and upcoming t-ball season, and joke about full “dad mode” moments. They share listener stats showing downloads from the Czech Republic, briefly revisit their inconsistent weight-loss efforts, and discuss summer coaching, contact days, and the value of travel ball versus school summer development. Mike recounts a golf tournament moment where a player slices a ball into a truck windshield, and they chat about golf ambitions. Mike also updates on his growing sports card flipping hobby via Whatnot and eBay. They finish by listing their top five favorite drinks.

Weight Loss Journey, Silver Dollar City Roller Coasters & Trying Weird Food Combos | Episode 10 In episode 10 of the Mike and Jake: The Almost Experts podcast, Mike and Jake celebrate reaching episode 10 and passing 700 Facebook followers, then talk about their new weight loss journey—“Operation Outlaw Run”—aimed at fitting on Silver Dollar City rides, including Outlaw Run, and discuss Silver Dollar City closing the Thunderation coaster. They share stories about playing basketball in Mike’s PE class, old-school games like 21 and horse, competitiveness, and even a debate about doing cartwheels, plus a conversation about group chat personalities and how many group texts they’re in. They finish by trying weird food combinations suggested on Facebook: watermelon with mustard, a hot dog dipped in applesauce, a pita bread sandwich with peanut butter, chips, and Sweet Baby Ray’s, and ice cream with chocolate syrup and soy sauce, then rank the results. 00:00 Podcast Kickoff 00:58 Episode 10 Milestone 01:30 Flags And Followers 02:56 Walmart Weird Combos 03:25 Operation Outlaw Run 05:04 Silver Dollar City News 08:49 Rollercoaster Fit Anxiety 11:38 Water And Diet Reality 13:17 PE Basketball Stories 14:44 Cartwheel Debate 17:11 Trash Talk And 21 19:51 Horse And Mental Toughness 24:12 Old School Fouls 25:18 Group Chat Chaos 29:15 Left Out of Texts 31:56 Fans Pick Weird Foods 33:44 Walmart Bread Hunt 36:02 Watermelon Mustard Test 38:35 Hot Dog Applesauce Dip 40:20 Dumb and Dumber Sandwich 43:51 Soy Sauce Ice Cream 45:57 Rankings and Wrap Up

NCAA Brackets, Coaching Rants, and Weird Food Combos (feat. Colton Mannon) | Almost Experts Ep. 9

In episode nine of Mike and Jake: The Almost Experts, the hosts welcome special guest Colton Mannon and discuss the NCAA tournament, including bracket accuracy, whether multiple brackets are cheating, remaining perfect brackets, and KenPom-style contender criteria, plus reactions to games like Mizzou vs. Miami and a Kentucky–Santa Clara finish involving a missed timeout and late-game strategy about fouling up three. The conversation shifts to coaching and strength of schedule, including Mike’s experiences coaching girls basketball, how tougher opponents helped late-game toughness, and differences between coaching boys and girls. They then dive into high school football scouting routines and the challenges of running scout teams, before ending with favorite movies and a segment on strange food combinations such as soy sauce in ice cream, a peanut butter–chip–barbecue sauce pita, and crackers in milk.

00:00 Cold Open and Theme

00:44 Meet the Special Guest

02:13 March Madness Brackets

03:58 Perfect Brackets and Favorites

06:27 Why 11 Seeds Play In

10:13 Foul Up Three Debate

12:48 Scrimmage Story and Home Cooking

16:06 Tough Schedule Builds Teams

18:11 Coaching Boys vs Girls

22:19 NIL Contracts and Transfers

25:02 High School Football Scouting

29:32 Scout Team Crunch

30:51 Emulating Elite Opponents

32:18 Film Study and Huddle

34:28 Run Heavy Offenses

35:46 Trenches Are Brutal

38:00 Worst Jobs on Field

40:47 Swinging Gate Explained

42:29 Top Three Movies

44:40 Weird Food Combos

51:49 Coach of the Year Roast

53:37 Podcast Sign Off

Hunting Mishaps, Olympics Talk, Hidden Talents & a Cereal Snake Draft | Almost Experts Ep. 8 (ft. Chris Newman)

In episode eight of the Almost Experts Podcast, Mike and Jake welcome special guest Chris Newman, introduced for his fantasy baseball success, fatherhood, and cancer survival, and talk through several hunting stories, including Chris’s Northern Missouri bowhunt where a cold-weather gear mishap led to a lucky double-lung shot on a buck later revealed to be blind in one eye. Mike and Jake share their own hunting blunders and a story about dragging out two deer and calling for help. The conversation shifts to Olympic excitement and medal talk, then to the World Baseball Classic and concerns about players getting hurt, plus debate over eligibility rules for playing for other countries. They highlight Jake’s viral singing moment with Hannah Harper and end with a snake draft of favorite cereal brands.

00:00 Podcast Cold Open

00:22 Meet Chris Newman

01:11 Fantasy Rings Banter

02:02 Hunting Story Setup

03:21 Northern Missouri Bowhunt

09:13 Blind Buck Twist

12:29 Mike Shoots The Blind

16:22 Deck Stand Hunting

18:28 Two Deer Drag Out

22:23 Rifle Season Pee Break

27:10 Olympics Miracle Talk

28:29 Herb Brooks Memories

29:23 Olympics Medal Talk

31:23 Winter Games Thrills

33:00 World Baseball Classic Hype

35:42 Country Eligibility Debate

38:40 Jake Breaks Facebook

40:59 American Idol Stage Story

43:01 Elvira Singalong Moment

43:55 Cereal Snake Draft

47:46 Mascots and Wrap Up

50:04 Final Sign Off