Welcome to the 19th Cast of the Week awards!
You can find this week’s nominees can be found at https://ykyz.com/f/cotwxix.
First, a few words from u/Mattasher for some super important information.
Site news
We are currently redoing our new user experience on the site, to improve first impressions and provide a more intuitive way for people to get up to speed with how to use ykyz and what we have to offer. We are hoping to roll out that change within the next two weeks.
Now, back to u/ThatOneGirl to announce the winners this week. But first, a shoutout:
Shoutout to Brown Skin Pearls for surpassing her 200th episode this week!
Runners up:
157. Fill your cup first… by Voluptuous Voyager
In this episode, Asi the Voluptuous Voyager shares her thoughts on some recent advice being passed along social media that, “once this trying time is over, remember who checked in on you.” Asi ends with the great quote, “You want to come with your cup full, my cup runneth over. What comes out of the cup is for you, what is in the cup is for me.” It is a powerful reminder to take care of ourselves too, not just looking in on others.
121. Voice and 145. My Content is Apparently Against YouTube’s Policies by Just Thinking Aloud
Mark has two insightful episodes this week. In the first one, he questions the real reasons why so many people have a fear of speaking up in public settings. In the second one, he explains why he chooses to use his voice on the ykyz platform instead of other well-known ones. In the end, it all comes down to the core values of ykyz being freedom of speech and not censoring its users for having and sharing their views on matters – even if they are a less popular opinion.
Bleat of the week:
Introducing yourself by gender, race, or sexuality in a public forum is detestable. by The Mini Devlow Show
In the most popular bleat last week (to, ironically, c/unpopular), Devlow shares his opinions on the trend of introducing yourself by “labels” first. In just under a minute, he explains that in most cases it shouldn’t matter what groups you identify with just to share a thought or two with the world.
Second prize:
18. Do you believe in ghosts? by PracticalMagic
Practical Magic shares her and her husband’s experience while looking at a house they were interested in buying. Their personal opinions on haunted houses, mixed with an old wives’ tale that “a ghost in a house brings wealth,” have her wondering if others believe in ghosts. She invites everyone to share their personal ghost stories with her.
First prize:
272. The Desire to Experience a “high” by Doctor Irish
Doctor Irish gets straight to the point in this episode. He wants everyone to know that people can have behavioral addictions to almost anything. A person can become so addicted to “normal day” activities that they start to experience withdrawal symptoms when they try and curb the behavior that gives them the “high” they are after.
Tag: 200 club
Cast of the Week XVIII
CotW XVIII
You’ll find all the nominees for this week at https://ykyz.com/c/na?faveOf=cotwxviii
And now, here’s u/Mattasher with the winners:
But first, some Shoutouts to the people who made our week this week:
Shoutout to Elvira of Mistress of the Microcast and BG from Black Girl Baker for reaching their 200th episode.
Shoutout to everyone for helping us crack the top 100k on Alexa! If you haven’t already installed the Alexa toolbar from Amazon.com, please do so now as that helps make sure our website stats show up accurately.
On to the winners!
Runners up:
217. Chakras – The Cliff Note´s Version by Astrocast By Diz
Diz gives us a perfect 80 second introduction to the concept of Chakras, and why you want to keep them clear and flowing.
246. James Bond And Heineken Beer by SnippetsWithSophia
Sophia takes on product placement in movies, and, in particular, the peculiar decision to pair fiction’s most famous martini drinker (shaken, not stirred) with a bland beer. I also recommend Sophia’s insightful episode on food history that explores the origins of many common last names.
266. Gardening and Math by SmartMoney
This episode of practical advice for teaching your kids math and gardening contains the best one-liner of the week, which I won’t spoil, but have a listen for the sentence that begins with “If six slugs eat one leaf every hour, and there’s only one can of beer in the house…”
And now, on to the winners of CotW XVIII:
Bleat of the Week:
This week we’ve added an award for most engaging (non-microcast) Bleat of the week. It goes to Asexual Asa for Pissing a lot of people off here about all the popular TV shows she’s never watched.
Second prize:
135. WHO: Globalism > Safety by Just Thinking Aloud
In this understated yet razor-sharp episode, Marko presents some basic facts and quotes related to the current crisis and draws us to an inevitable conclusion about one of the principal causes of so much of our pain.
First prize:
228. Some thoughts by Aspie and Proud
It’s rare to see an episode of purely personal expression win a prize here, as the best microcast episodes tend to mix researched information with interesting and entertaining takes, but this week I had no choice but to award the top billing to Elsa. In this emotionally resonant, well written, poetic episode, she expertly expresses the angst I suspect so many of us feel in this stressful time.
Cast of the Week XVI
CotW XVI
You’ll find all the nominees for this week at https://ykyz.com/c/na?faveOf=cotwxvi
Here is u/Mattasher to announce the winners of Cast of the Week XVI (The Sweet Sixteen):
Before we get into the winners, we have some shoutouts this week.
Shoutout to Mark for hitting episode 100 with his Just Thinking Aloud microcast, to Poegosi The Poet for his 100th, Joanie Reviews Stuff’s 100th, Boris the Blade 100th, and to ThatbeardedSwede, Aspie and Proud, and Astrocast by Diz for posting episodes 200!
Shoutout to Lilith of the Maleficent Gaming microcast for experimenting with rapid-fire, YouTube-style editing in her episode 29. Exploiting employees for Borderlands 3 pt.2
Shoutout to Angelibean for giving the community a shoutout in the wonderfully titled episode 22. I’m a hater and I may need a nap
Shoutout to Rebekah of SmartMoney for the snack tips in episode 232. Give Me the Snacks and No One Gets Hurt, another well-titled episode this week.
Shoutout to Black Girl Baker for experimenting with sound recording in her 174.My version of ASMR. By the end, I was for sure craving some of those salty crunchy snacks Rebekah described.
And now, without further ado, the winners. But first, a couple of Runner’s up:
200. Wine from Sweden – YKYZ Podcast Microcast by ThatbeardedSwede
Who knew Sweden had not one, but several growing regions, and that it produced some award-winning whites?
31. Occupy by Brown Skin Pearls
Clare gives out practical advice for how to stop touching your face in this short but straightforward episode.
219. Danish Pastries by SnippetsWithSophia
Sophia takes us on a tour of Danishes around the world (spoiler alert, they’re not called Danishes everywhere) in this mouth-watering episode.
And now, on to the winners!
THIRD PRIZE:
116. Pilsners for Boris The Blade – A Brewtiful Mind by A Brewtiful Mind
In this packed episode, Micah takes us on a quick tour of the world of pilsners, from their home in the Czech Republic to their new world versions. For my own part, I’d highly recommend heading to Prague, finding a patio, and sipping a punch-bowl sized glass of the local favorite, Pilsner Urquell. You’ll never want to drink beer in a can again.
SECOND PRIZE:
26. Swear Words by Hilarious History
Hannah hits her stride with a SFW episode about NSFW language. In this episode we learn how Saxon words became vulgarities with the help of the Anglos. Hannah leaves us with the polite admonition, “Thank you for listening, and don’t get conquered”, which seems like the perfect advice for this moment we are in.
FIRST PRIZE:
200. Air Signs As Jazz Music by Astrocast By Diz
This was a tough one to pick. Not because we wondered who to give the top prize to, but had a hard time picking which episode from Diz deserved it most. In the end, we’re choosing her intriguing 200th cast, wherein Diz connects the astrological Air Signs with jazz, giving a surprisingly rich introduction to both in under 75 seconds. We also highly recommend you have a listen to her episode 203. Story Time: Bia. Come for the story of Prometheus, stay for the perfectly timed sound samples.
Cast of the Week XIV
CotW XIII
You’ll find all the nominees for this week at https://ykyz.com/c/na?faveOf=cotwxiv
And now, without any further ado, we present the winners of the 14th weekly CotW.
But first, some shoutouts:
Shoutout to Life in Ancient Egypt for passing 100 episodes this past week, and marking the occasion with a celebratory cast about celebrations in, you guessed it, Ancient Egypt.
Shoutout to both SmartMoney and DoctorIrish for passing the 200 episodes mark. So did NerdyOldGuy, and I’m not gonna lie, he had us in the first half of the episode.
Shoutout to Joanie for choosing to review her Annoying Spastic Eyelid. Spoiler alert: It gets a 0.
A second Shoutout to Joanie for doing a perfect imitation of a broadcaster in her episode 80. 🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨
Shoutout to Clare for getting that perennially hated, but somehow never quite forgotten, Vanilla Ice hit stuck in my head with her episode 145. Ice, Ice Baby.
And now, on to the winners. But first, some honorable mentions:
50. Interview with Chris Martin of Coldplay! by BeyondRhythm
This fun, nicely spliced “interview” with Coldplay’s frontman kept us entertained for the full 90 seconds.
76. What makes you happy? by Poegosi The Poet
In times of trouble, Poegosi comforts us with this ode to drinking. There seemed to be a lot of drinking talk this week among bleaters, and not just on the Brewtiful Mind microcast.
Third Prize:
182. Kottabos – An Old Drinking Game by SnippetsWithSophia
Who knew drinking games were invented by the actual greeks, and not their modern(ish) day Animal House imitators? We just might give Kottabos a try at our next soiree, all the while keeping the appropriate social distance, of course.
Second Prize:
289. Hypothetical Musicians In Quarantine by Music and Peace
Beyond being a solid episode of musing about musicians under lockdown, Addie gives us the wonderful, and quite welcome, analogy of 2020 as a restart your computer year. Remember folks, “It’s just a little reset”. We can only hope.
Grand Prize:
193. Stockpile your VODKA! “Vodka can make Hand Sanitizer” – False by Doctor Irish
The Doctor is in with this myth-busting episode about the use of distilled spirits to kill the evil spirits on your hands, otherwise, know as germs. Bottom line, unless your Vodka is actually moonshine, you may want to splash it down your throat instead of rubbing it between your palms.
Thanks again to everyone who was part of our week at ykyz, and don’t forget to follow us on twitter @YKYZHaveYouSay and like our Facebook page.
Cast of the Week XIII
CotW XIII
You’ll find all the nominees for this week at https://ykyz.com/c/na?faveOf=cotwxiii
We’ll get right into the winners of Cast of the Week XIII.
But first, some shoutouts.
Shoutout to Elvira for crossing the 100 episode barrier with her Mistress of the Microcast series.
Shoutout to Joel for clocking in with 200 episodes of his NerdyOldGuy microcast.
Shoutout to Fredrik for the lovely episode 38. March Madness – Improvisation on Swedish Folk music (Guitar) (Original music by Fredrik). We always appreciate your original compositions.
Shoutout to the many users who jumped into March Madness with swaps and guest hosting. We listen to all of these, and you can find them collected in one place at https://ykyz.com/c/na?faveOf=marchmadness
And now, on to the winners. But first, some honorable mentions.
Honorable mentions
2. Mobile Gamers And Console Wars by Maleficent Gaming
Lilith got a big response for just her second microcast episode, an invitation to weigh in on the current state of mobile vs console gaming.
146. Kabbalah Numerology by Astrocast By Diz explains how to turn your name into a number as part of the ancient Hebrew practice of Kabbalah. Also, check out the fun and opinionated 155.Storytime: Zeus by Astrocast By Diz
60. Free Speech – Not Just Another Value by Just Thinking Aloud
At a time when patience for free speech is at the lowest point, it’s been in my lifetime, and censorship seems to championed even by the media itself, Mark succinctly explains the connection between free speech and honestly confronting reality.
And now, on to the winners!
Second place
87. Rosetta Stone with Alba of the Culture Mix by Life in Ancient Egypt
Alba steps into Marwan’s sandals and picks up his staff to lead us out of Egypt and into the British Museum, current home of the Rosetta stone, for a tour-guide quality description of this famously fractured artifact.
Grand prize
168. Takeover – Voluptuous Voyager – Swedish Death Cleaning by ThatBeardedSwede
This week, one caster perfectly captured the vibe of the show she swapped with. Asi, of Voluptuous voyager fame, gave us a wonderful slice of Swedish life in her guest appearance in episode 168 of ThatbeardedSwede’s microcast. Focusing on the practice of Death Cleaning (döstädning), or getting one’s affairs in order before it’s game over in this simulated we all share, Asi nails the feeling and focus of her host’s microcast. We also highly recommend Asi’s other Swedish take over episode on The Ice Hotel.