How Did This Get Made?

The 3Rd Annual Howdie Awards Part 1

December 30, 2025

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • The 3rd "Annual" Howdie Awards for *How Did This Get Made?* cover an unusually long period, spanning from Episode 139 ("Simple Irresistible") through Episode 376 ("Driven"), rather than a typical single year. 
  • The first award presented, Best Catchphrase, was won by "Where does the butt start?" from Episode 140 ("Mannequin 2 on the Move"), sparking an extended, humorous debate about human anatomy. 
  • The hosts revealed that the Howdie Awards had not been held since 2016, and the winners for all categories were chosen arbitrarily by the hosts without audience voting. 
  • The 'Most Baffling Choice By A First Responder' Howdie Award winner was the paramedics from Episode 346, *Madame Webb*, for treating open wounds with only chest compressions. 
  • The hosts awarded a Howdie for the 'Lady Cop Latkes' moment from Episode 343, *Samurai Cop*, focusing on the bizarre scene where the cop puts a hot frying pan into the freezer. 
  • The segment concluded by announcing that the results for whether Jason will finally win his first Howdy Award will be revealed in Part 2 of *The 3rd "Annual" Howdie Awards*. 

Segments

Welcome to the 3rd Annual Howdies
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(00:01:27)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts welcome listeners to the third annual ‘Howdy Awards,’ celebrating moments from the podcast’s history.
  • Summary: Paul welcomes everyone to the ’third annual How Did This Get Made? Howdy Awards,’ introducing hosts Tall John Shearer, Jason Manzoukis, and June Diane Rayfield, and noting the awards cover the finest moments from the last nine years of the podcast.
Debate over ‘Annual’ Howdies Frequency
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(00:02:07)
  • Key Takeaway: June questions the ‘annual’ nature of the awards given the podcast’s 15-year history, revealing they haven’t been held since 2016.
  • Summary: June questions why they are called the ’third annual’ awards when the podcast has existed for 15 years. Paul explains they’ve missed several, and June notes they haven’t done them since 2016, meaning children have been born since the last one.
Explaining the ‘Geek Squad’ Lore
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(00:03:21)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts define the ‘Geek Squad’ concept for June, relating it to young, popular actors who are helping older generations with technology.
  • Summary: Paul explains the ‘Geek Squad’ lore to June, describing them as young, popular figures (like the Brat Pack) who help older people with technology. Examples listed include Jenna Ortega, Jeremy Allen White, and Austin Butler.
Reason for Stopping Previous Howdies
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(00:05:56)
  • Key Takeaway: The previous hiatus from the Howdies was due to the time-intensive nature of compiling clips, initially implemented to give the hosts breathing room after the birth of their first two children.
  • Summary: Paul reveals the Howdies stopped after 2016 because compiling the clips was too time-intensive for their producer, Cody. The first two Howdies were specifically timed around the birth of Paul and June’s children.
Scope of the Third Annual Howdies
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(00:07:04)
  • Key Takeaway: This year’s awards cover a massive span of episodes, from Episode 139 to Episode 376, rather than just the last year.
  • Summary: June clarifies that this Howdies covers content from Episode 139 (‘Simply Irresistible’) through Episode 376 (‘Driven’), spanning a wide berth of moments because they haven’t held the event in so long.
Arbitrary Selection Process Confirmed
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(00:07:50)
  • Key Takeaway: The winners were chosen arbitrarily by the hosts, not by audience vote, reinforcing the anti-democratic nature of the awards.
  • Summary: Paul confirms that no one voted on the winners; they were picked arbitrarily on a whim, joking that democracy is dying everywhere, so why should the Howdies be different.
Jason Has Never Won a Howdy
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(00:08:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Despite his involvement, Jason points out that he has never personally won a Howdy award.
  • Summary: June points out to Jason that he has never won a Howdy, leading Jason to joke that this might be why he views the organization as corrupt.
First Howdy: Best Catchphrase Nominees
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(00:09:48)
  • Key Takeaway: The first category is Best Catchphrase, with nominees including ‘Put her in a bra’ and ‘Geostorm!’
  • Summary: The first award is for Best Catchphrase. Nominees include ‘Put her in a bra’ from ‘My Stepmother is an Alien’ (Ep 162) and ‘Geostorm!’ from ‘Geostorm’ (Ep 186).
Discussion on ‘Where Does the Butt Start?’
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(00:13:04)
  • Key Takeaway: The discussion pivots into a deep, anatomical debate about where the butt begins, prompted by the ‘Mannequin 2 on the Move’ clip.
  • Summary: The clip ‘Where does the butt start’ from ‘Mannequin 2 on the move’ (Ep 140) leads to an extended, graphic discussion about the anatomy of a Barbie doll’s posterior, including comparisons of 90s vs. 2000s dolls.
Best Catchphrase Winner Announced
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(00:19:37)
  • Key Takeaway: The winner for Best Catchphrase is ‘Where does the butt start?’
  • Summary: Paul opens the envelope and announces the winner for Best Catchphrase is ‘Where does the butt start’ from Episode 140, ‘Mannequin 2 on the move,’ much to Jason’s surprise.
Doctor’s Cameo Answer on Anatomy
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(00:21:59)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts spent $9 of their Sirius budget to hire a doctor on Cameo to definitively answer the question: ‘Where does the butt start?’
  • Summary: To resolve the debate, the hosts paid $9 for a doctor on Cameo to answer the question. The doctor stated the butt is nebulous but anatomically starts at the origin of the gluteus maximus.
Second Category: Most Bonkers Flying Entity
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(00:26:56)
  • Key Takeaway: The second category is Most Bonkers Flying Entity, featuring nominees like the face in the hurricane and Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
  • Summary: The second category is Most Bonkers Flying Entity. Nominees include ‘The Face in the Hurricane’ from ‘The Hurricane Heist’ (Ep 190), Dom’s swinging car from ‘F9’ (Ep 271), ‘Jonathan Livingston Siegel’ (Ep 328), and ‘Q the winged serpent’ (Ep 358).
Jonathan Livingston Seagull Wins Flying Entity
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(00:36:38)
  • Key Takeaway: ‘Jonathan Livingston Siegel’ wins the award for Most Bonkers Flying Entity, despite the hosts recalling the combative audience reaction to that episode.
  • Summary: The winner for Most Bonkers Flying Entity is announced as ‘Jonathan Livingston Siegel.’ The hosts recall that episode being highly energized and combative with the New York audience.
Third Category: June’s Most Savage Dislike
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(00:37:39)
  • Key Takeaway: The third category focuses on June’s personal dislikes, nominating breakdancing and men who drink tea.
  • Summary: The next category is June’s Most Savage Dislike. Nominees are ‘breakdancing’ from ‘Body Rock’ (Ep 188) and ‘Men who drink tea’ from ‘A Very Nutty Christmas’ (Ep 255). Paul’s comments on Phoebe Cates’s sexual awakening from ‘Drop Dead Fred’ (Ep 219) are also nominated.
Paul’s Phoebe Cates Comments Cause Uproar
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(00:40:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Paul’s assertion that Phoebe Cates’s sexual awakening was defined by whether she touched a penis caused immediate backlash from June and Jason.
  • Summary: Jason strongly criticizes Paul’s comment about Phoebe Cates in ‘Drop Dead Fred,’ interpreting it as defining female sexuality solely by interaction with male anatomy. Paul defends his statement, but Jason remains disturbed.
June’s Savage Dislike Winner Announced
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(00:44:44)
  • Key Takeaway: The award for June’s Most Savage Dislike goes to Paul’s thoughts on Phoebe Cates’s sexual awakening, which June immediately claims.
  • Summary: The Howdy for June’s Most Savage Dislike goes to ‘Paul’s thoughts on Phoebe Cates’s Sexual Awakening.’ June accepts the award, despite Paul’s initial confusion over why it wasn’t his to give away.
Fourth Category: Best Second Opinion Review
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(00:47:55)
  • Key Takeaway: The fourth category honors the best listener review, featuring a passionate defense of ‘The Phantom’ and a bizarre Amazon review for ‘Ronal the Barbarian.’
  • Summary: The category is Best Second Opinion Review. Nominees include ‘Chieftain’s review of The Phantom’ (Ep 142) and ‘Rush and Shill’s review of Ronal the Barbarian’ (Ep 341), which is revealed to be a highly suspect Amazon review from someone claiming to run a boat club in landlocked Iowa.
50 Shades Review Wins Second Opinion
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(00:58:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Jay’s earnest, five-star review of ‘50 Shades of Gray’ wins Best Second Opinion Review for its revelatory confessions.
  • Summary: The winner is Jay’s review of ‘50 Shades of Gray’ (Ep 338). The hosts praise the review’s earnestness and the honest confessions about using the movie as an escape from motherhood.
Fifth Category: Most Baffling First Responder Choice
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(00:58:53)
  • Key Takeaway: The next category focuses on poor decision-making by heroic figures, specifically highlighting a paramedic using a dirty hair clip as a clamp in ‘Ambulance.’
  • Summary: The category is Most Baffling Choice by a First Responder. Nominees include the paramedic using a hair clip as a clamp in ‘Ambulance’ (Ep 315) and the lady cop cooking latkes in ‘Samurai Cop’ (Ep 343).
Lady Cop Latkes Scene Analysis
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(01:00:57)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts were haunted by the bizarre logic of the lady cop going to the freezer with hot oil while cooking latkes in Samurai Cop.
  • Summary: Discussion centers on the lady cop from Samurai Cop (episode 343) who pours hot oil and then inexplicably goes to the freezer. They speculate she was preparing frozen latkes, leading to a potential merchandise idea.
Madame Webb CPR Award
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(01:02:37)
  • Key Takeaway: The paramedics in Madame Webb won an award for treating all injuries, including open wounds, solely with chest compressions.
  • Summary: The award for Most Baffling Choice by a First Responder goes to the Madame Webb paramedics for their singular focus on CPR, even when the patient had severe external injuries. They discuss the realistic element of CPR fatigue shown in the film.
Adam Scott’s Howdy Message
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(01:05:32)
  • Key Takeaway: Adam Scott was absent but sent a Spider-Man-esque message to Paul regarding responsibility.
  • Summary: Adam Scott’s absence is noted, and his message to Paul is shared: ‘when you take on the responsibility, great power will come.’ This leads to a joke about securing the Howdy awards in a locked sack.
Howdy Award Sales Tease
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(01:06:42)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts tease the conclusion of the awards, questioning if Jason will ever win his first Howdy.
  • Summary: The segment wraps up the current awards discussion, congratulating Paul on his growing collection and setting up the continuation of the ceremony in the next part.
Honda and DSW Ads
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(01:06:58)
  • Key Takeaway: The episode concludes with advertisements for Honda financing deals and the DSW semi-annual clearance sale.
  • Summary: The final minutes of the transcript feature promotional content for Honda vehicles (Accord, Civic, CR-V, HR-V) and DSW’s 50% off clearance shoe sale.