The Earwolf Challenge: Week 2
“Ya’ll bitches watch out for this shit. Some dudes goin’ round saying they playin fo real, but can’t handle they pressure. You know what be said: ‘You can’t handle the heat, get the fuck out the kitchen’. Truf.” -Abraham Lincoln
I thought I’d start off with that little inspirational quote since it applies perfectly to this week of The Earwolf Challenge.
This is the first challenge week. The first week we actually put into practice what the crux of the show is going to be about. As nerve-wracking as Week 1 was, Week 2 was a completely different ball game.
Here’s a little inside scoop as to how we make this all happen. At the beginning of the week, Peter Moses and I gave the contestants the criteria for the week’s challenge. We tried to give them as much detail in the instructions to help them create the best content possible. We’re not trying to screw over the podcasts by making these challenges SUPER difficult. The goal of this show is to progress the art of podcasting and try to make everyone as good as they can possibly be.
On Monday we record the “Coaching Sessions” with just Matt Besser and the podcasts (that’s what you’ll hear on Day 1). Matt was extremely adept at being able to dig into the nuance of each team’s sensibility and gave each podcast well-tailored advice.
The podcasts then had until the following Friday to turn in their challenge submissions for the week in order to be ready for the recording on Saturday. We needed to find a way to help the teams with the challenge (the “Coaching Sessions”) and then give them enough time to apply Matt’s advice and create their submission for Saturday (the “Challenge” and the “Judgement” episodes). All of the teams turned in their submissions on time (because they all kick some serious ass), and we were ready for the recording on Saturday.
Now I want you to picture this: you’re a twenty-three year-old, recent college graduate who has to organize a double recording of an untested podcast which involves scheduling ten groups from across the world, living in different time zones along with Matt Besser, Jimmy Pardo and Jason Sklar – three of the biggest names in comedy and podcasting. Let’s just say: Peter and I were a tad nervous. Luckily though, the show went off without a hitch. Aside from Jimmy Pardo’s chair almost giving out on him during the middle of the recording. But, all in all, it was a very successful show.
Aside from all of these logistical feats, there was one other thing this week that made it truly difficult. The competition part. We had to start eliminating teams. Peter and I spent so much time finding these ten podcasts that to eliminate any of them is almost like assassinating our same-sex marriage adopted infant love-child. Yet, alas, like any competition show, someone had to go. The one hope I have is every team, no matter how long they last in this competition, gains some exposure and learns as much as possible from being a part of this crazy new podcast. Enjoy!