# The Pinball Show Ep 159 BONUS: Lifestyle Market Trends

**Source:** Pinball Show Patreon Feed  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2024-08-27  
**Duration:** 16m 34s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/pinball-show-ep-110850282

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## Analysis

This is a Pinball Show Club bonus episode focused on lifestyle market trends unrelated to pinball. Hosts discuss trending items including bidets (up), Buc-ee's convenience stores (down), Disney D23 announcements (up), Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge door incident (down), and Halloween decorations (up), with tangential commentary on theme parks, cruises, and personal anecdotes.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Bidets are trending and the speaker cannot go without one after six months of consistent use — _Host personal experience and listener email from Mark_
- [HIGH] Buc-ee's is an overpopulated gas station with no redeeming qualities beyond a brass beaver statue — _Host's personal experience visiting Buc-ee's three weeks ago on the way back from Orlando vacation_
- [HIGH] Disney D23 announced new theme park lands including Cars and Villains themed area, Encanto attraction, Indiana Jones attraction, and new suspension roller coaster at Hollywood Studios — _Host discussing D23 convention announcements_
- [HIGH] Disney announced four new cruise ships launching from 2027 to 2031, bringing total fleet to 13 ships — _Host citing D23 cruise announcements_
- [HIGH] The pressurized door at Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge on Disney Wish cruise hit the speaker in the head hard enough to cause a welt from hairline to cheekbone — _Host's personal experience on Disney cruise_

### Notable Quotes

> "My asshole is pristine. And just because of the bidet, training up this week is bidets."
> — **Host**, Early in episode
> _Humorous endorsement of bidet trend as primary lifestyle market signal_

> "It's like the sequel to Honey I Shrunk the Kids remember they blew up that toddler and he's just really big but he's still fucking an annoying toddler this is still a gas station but it serves its role"
> — **Host**, Buc-ee's discussion
> _Creative analogy for why Buc-ee's is overhyped despite being a larger gas station_

> "Trending down is Bucky's. It's not that great. It's an oversized gas station. And there's nothing that it has. Fuck Bucky."
> — **Host**, End of Buc-ee's segment
> _Strong criticism of trending Buc-ee's phenomenon; host explicitly states it will 'get him in trouble'_

> "I am at an 11 with the level of excitement hearing that"
> — **Host**, Disney theme park announcements
> _Extreme enthusiasm about new Disney park expansions_

> "And as I walk in, the pressurized door closes on me. And like fast. And it assaults me to the point it hits my head, slams me into the wall."
> — **Host**, Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge incident
> _Describes potentially dangerous theme park incident at Disney property_

> "So I was like, I'm going to go have a bourbon. I'm going to go have a galactic bourbon here at the Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge"
> — **Host**, Hyperspace Lounge setup
> _Context for theme park experience_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Mark | person | Listener who sent email response about six months of bidet use and positive experience |
| Dennis | person | Co-host of The Pinball Show, participates in lifestyle market trends discussion |
| Buc-ee's | company | Convenience store/gas station chain trending down; host visited location three weeks ago returning from Orlando vacation |
| Disney | company | Entertainment company; host discusses D23 announcements and Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge incident on Disney Wish cruise |
| Walt Disney World | organization | Theme park receiving new Cars and Villains land, Encanto attraction, Indiana Jones attraction, reimagined test track, Monsters roller coaster |
| Disneyland Resort | organization | Theme park receiving Avatar land, Coco attraction, expanded Avengers campus with two new attractions |
| Universal Studios | company | Theme park with Epic Universe announcement mentioned as competitor to Disney announcements |
| Hollywood Studios | organization | Disney theme park receiving new suspended Monsters roller coaster |
| Animal Kingdom | organization | Disney theme park receiving Indiana Jones-themed attraction |
| Disney Wish | product | Disney cruise ship where host experienced Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge pressurized door incident two weeks ago |
| Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge | product | Themed bar on Disney Wish cruise with interactive elements and dangerous pressurized doors; host experienced injury there |
| D23 | event | Disney annual convention where major theme park and entertainment announcements were made; described as one of biggest D23s of all time |
| The Pinball Show Club | organization | Membership community providing exclusive bonus content like this episode |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Bidet trend, Buc-ee's gas station/convenience store criticism, Disney D23 theme park announcements, Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge incident, Lifestyle consumer trends
- **Secondary:** Disney cruise ship expansion, Halloween decoration trends, Theme park competition

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (0.45) — Episode is predominantly humorous and entertaining with high enthusiasm about Disney announcements and bidet benefits, balanced by strong negative criticism of Buc-ee's and frustration with Hyperspace Lounge incident. Overall tone is comedic rather than genuinely negative or positive.

### Signals

- **[market_signal]** Bidets are trending up as a lifestyle product with consumer adoption and satisfaction driving repeat purchases and strong word-of-mouth recommendations (confidence: medium) — Host personal experience after six months; listener email from Mark indicating adoption and satisfaction
- **[market_signal]** Buc-ee's is trending down despite cultural hype, with perception gap between marketing/social media buzz and actual customer experience disappointment (confidence: high) — Host's recent visit experience; explicit criticism that it is 'just a gas station' with no redeeming qualities; host predicts this opinion will be controversial
- **[market_signal]** Disney executing aggressive expansion strategy across both Walt Disney World and Disneyland with new themed lands, attractions, and entertainment infrastructure (confidence: high) — Multiple announced additions: Cars/Villains land, Encanto, Indiana Jones, Avatar land, Coco, Avengers campus expansion, Monsters roller coaster, Avatar land at Disneyland
- **[product_launch]** Disney Cruise Line announcing launch of four new ships (2027-2031) to expand fleet from current size to 13 total ships (confidence: high) — D23 announcement of Disney Treasure and Disney Destiny with specific launch timeline 2027-2031
- **[product_concern]** Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge pressurized door mechanism poses safety hazard, has injured at least one guest significantly (confidence: high) — Host sustained visible injury (welt from hairline to cheekbone) from door hitting head; describes it as 'assault' and notes witnesses
- **[sentiment_shift]** Buc-ee's experiencing divergence between social media/cultural hype and actual customer satisfaction, with host representing skeptical counterpoint to trend (confidence: medium) — Host explicitly states opinion will be controversial; notes people have 'overhyped' the experience; compares unfavorably to Walmart
- **[market_signal]** Universal Studios launching Epic Universe in direct competition with Disney's theme park expansion announcements (confidence: medium) — Host mentions being on 'Epic Universe binge' before Disney announcements; frames as competitive announcements
- **[content_signal]** The Pinball Show Club members receive exclusive non-pinball lifestyle content episodes to add value beyond core show topics (confidence: high) — Episode explicitly framed as exclusive club member bonus content on lifestyle market trends unrelated to pinball

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## Transcript

 Warning, the following episode contains adult language and screaming goats. Listener discretion is advised. Thanks again for the ongoing support as a Pinball Show Club member. Enjoy this exclusive TPS content and make sure to visit the Pinball Show Club Discord to chat about the bonus material. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the exclusive content that only comes from you, the official club members of the Pinball Show. Thank you so much. Yay! And we're going to jump into something that I think is going to stir up a little emotion in your hearts and in your minds. This week's exclusive content is what we're calling Lifestyle Market Trends. Because it's non-pinball stuff. I know, but it's more market trends, so I'm a little sad. Turning up this week is none other than butthole cleaners. No, no, not like... Why did you guys picture a bottle brush? That's really weird. No, it's bidets. We talked about them in the past, Dennis, but I bring them up because they are trending. We did have an email response from Mark, one of our listeners, about bidets. Look, now that you've used one consistently for six months, however you feel about it, I'm telling you what, Mark, I can't go without one. I love one more than now. He's formed a solid opinion based off of hands-on, butts-on experience and not just like a sizzle-squirtle trailer? I was sold from the first squirt. No, that was a hands-on approach. You're right about that one. But that's bidets, not pinball. So turning up as bidets, so much so that I was on vacation a couple weeks ago, and I missed a couple of things. But the one thing that I missed the most, listener, was none other than my bidet. It's true. I'm not fabricating this. They didn't have them on vacation? I didn't stay in that room. There are some sweets, I think. Don't they have like fast ass or something that you can subscribe to? I think that there's a fast ass. Damn, that's good. I think that the parks don't have them. The amusement parks don't have bidets. But there are a couple of the suites on cruises. I'll never be able to afford those, but they do in fact have bidets. You could have pre-hagus. But you know what I did do? I did take my own toilet paper because I don't know about you, But one ply at these hotels. Oh, God, no. You know, that's actually a pretty smart strategy. My butthole will bleed, especially since my asshole is so used to being pampered, like with moisture and like dobbing. My asshole is pristine. And just because of the bidet, training up this week is bidets. Unfortunately, training down this week, this is not going to make a lot of people happy, but I'm just here to report the facts, people. I can't believe you're going to say this. This is going to get me in trouble. Email us at eclecticgamerspodcast.gmail.com. Trending down this week is none other than the hit convenience store slash gas station around the world. The trending up in everybody else's mind, but very much down to me, it's none other than Buc-ee's. Oh, Dennis. We're going to get so canceled. Buc-ee's, Buc-ee's. Let's take a trip and get some gas at Buc-ee's. Buc-ee's, Buc-ee's. It's time to say the beeper, come on. Have you done the Buc-ee's yet? No, I haven't. Guess what? I cannot recommend it. It's too good for me. It sucks. It's too good for me. Look, people, listener, in your heart of hearts, you know there's nothing special about this little shit gas station. It's like when people experience Walmart for the first time, they think it's great. This is the Walmart of gas stations. How much do you love going into a Walmart, Dennis? very very low on your list right that's how it is for bucky but i'm not a shopper oh boy like everything that people have hyped up to me maybe it's been overhyped i experienced bucky's for the first time three weeks ago coming home from vacation now maybe it was mood set because instead of catching a flight that got canceled I had to hop in a 15 van and drive my in as well as my kids up from Orlando all the way up to southern Indiana in, I might add, a tropical storm. But we stopped at Bucky's for an oasis, and what we got was far from it. Guys, it's a gas station! an overpopulated gas station. Have you seen the bathrooms out there? Alright, so I go into the bathroom. They've got high ceilings? Like, okay. Who cares? Who cares? I think it's that they're supposed to be really clean. I mean, I've been in some real scuzzy gas stations. I mean, you know how they are. But if you go to a newer gas station, they're clean. I mean, we're from the Midwest. You know how they are. They're bad. Yeah, some of them are bad. But this was clean, but I expect if I'm going to a newer gas station for it to be clean. All right. So and then, oh, but have you had the brisket? All right. I will eat gas station barbecue. I'm going to try it. I'll try it. Guess what, Dennis? Wasn't any fucking good. Again, we're from an area where brisket is common. It's gas station barbecue. Yes. It's passable, but it's not what I would classify as good. I'm sorry, people. there's nothing you don't sound sorry at all there's nothing redeeming about Bucky's it's like the sequel to Honey I Shrunk the Kids remember they blew up that toddler and he's just really big but he's still fucking an annoying toddler this is still a gas station but it serves its role look I just don't know I just don't think it's wise for you to go around calling Bucky's yuckies you know what the kicker to was this is what I said But I'm not doing it. I go up to get a nice, when you go to the gas station, you're looking for a refreshing fountain soda. Right? That's the thing. You get the big gulp and it lasts you a couple hours. I go and I get that. Are they Pepsi or Coke? Usually either or. Oh, this one's got Coke. At Bucky's, they have none of it, Dennis. You cannot get Coke. You cannot get Pepsi. You got to get fucking Bucky juice. They got their own cola, beaver cola, that you've got to drink. And you know what? I'll give them credit. It was a good cola. But are you too pretentious? Has Bucky got too big that he can't sell Coca-Cola or Pepsi? They probably had Coke and Pepsi in the bottles. That's it to face the purpose. No, I always buy bottles at Don Casterly's. I like the carbonated water or the carbonated carbonation. There's still carbonation in the bottle. I like the freshness. No. Freshness. It comes out of a can. You can't ever get a 20-ounce cold enough. I'm sorry. You can't. Coke, Pepsi, Bucky's juice, they're all the same. They all taste. Blue Steel, Magnum. If you have a canned Coca-Cola compared to like a McDonald's Fountain Coke, totally. All right. Now, McDonald's is on a different level. That's not a fair comparison at all. That's fair. It's not. But still, for the conversation here. So, look, trending down is Bucky's. It's not that great. It's an oversized gas station. And there's nothing that it has. I mean, ladies and gentlemen, nothing that was redeeming to me. You know what? The one redeeming thing had a fucking gaudy statue of a beaver out front that we stood up for a picture of. And it was like brass that the copper was wearing off in certain areas because you knew where people would touch the beaver a lot. That was the only redeeming quality of that whole property. Fuck Bucky. Did you take your picture with the statue? I guess I'm pro-Thorntons or pro-Circle K or whatever. Buc-ees, what a joke. All right, on to better things. Trending up this week, though, was none other than... I was on this Epic Universe binge like oh this hype Oh my God this new Universal Studios theme park Holy shit And then Disney came and dropped the fucking mic with their annual D23 convention Did you see any of this? Holy shit. No, I don't follow any of this stuff. Well, I guarantee you know what came out of it, or you will be consuming what came out of it. So it's almost like they highlight what they're coming out with with respect to Disney films, shows, music, vacations, all of that stuff. And I'm going to give you some of the highlights that came. This was one of the biggest D23s of all time. Some of the announcements that they made, phenomenal. Some of the films that we're going to be seeing in the next handful of years coming from Disney. I don't know, highlights like Frozen 3, new Avatar, Fire and Ash, Toy Story 5. Get out of here. Live action Snow White. Toy Story 5, only the week of reskin from JJPN coming. Oh, my God. And even the premise of Toy Story 5. gold just gold jerry tron aries that's featured not the defunct daffunked no no nine inch nails what get out of here that's just films if we're talking about the actual resorts and and the theme parks themselves holy shit walt disney world is getting a brand new area and land of the park that features cars and villains? What? I am at an 11 with the level of excitement hearing that. They're getting an Encanto-themed attraction. They're getting an Indiana Jones-themed attraction that's coming to, I think it's going to Animal Kingdom, a reimagined test track. They were dropping rides here and there. Boom, boom, boom, boom. Yeah, all of this stuff coming to this theme park. These theme parks are going to be freaking unbelievable. A new Monsters roller coaster? Their first suspended roller coaster? Coming to Hollywood Studios? Shit the bed, Fred! Where do I sign up? That's just Walt Disney World. Disneyland Resort? They're getting their own shit. They're getting their whole Avatar land. They're getting a Coco attraction ride. They're getting the Avengers campus is going to double with two brand new attractions. Dennis, I've got to take you to one of these. Will you go to one of these with me, please? Probably not. Thank you. Shit. And then, to cap it all off, D23 announced you guys know that I love my Disney cruises. And at D23 they announced the launch of four new ships setting sail from 2027 to 2031. That's going to bring their total fleet to 13 ships worldwide. New details even that they released on the Disney Treasure and Disney Destiny. Fuck me Sally. I can't wait. So trending up in lifestyle market trends was D23 and all the announcements. I mean, that was just a touch, a tip of the iceberg of what all they announced at that. Unbelievable. But life's not all about the ups. It's about the downs as well. And trending down this week, speaking of Disney, the Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge. I went on the Disney Wish cruise a couple weeks ago, Dennis, and I was not drunk yet. So this is like a hyperspace. It's a bar, right? Yeah, I've heard of it. Fully themed around. It's interactive. It's got a cool. It's cool. It's cool. However, I was assaulted at this bar. Really? Yes, not by an emotional sentient being. No, no. It was by a mechanism. So I went into this bar a couple times throughout my trip, you know, and they've got these. What are the pressure doors? Okay. That was a pretty good sound effect. You visualized it. But that's what the door did whenever you entered it. So I was going through the entrance because I had a little time to kill. My wife was doing some seminar, jewelry or bingo or something. So I was like, I'm going to go have a bourbon. I'm going to go have a galactic bourbon here at the Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge And it opens up The door opens up A couple actually exits out the entrance which I thought was weird because it you know entrance Whatever. Well, they were probably drunk. That's fine. And because I'm a gentleman, I allow them out the entrance before I enter, even though it's logically doesn't make sense. Come on out, guys. I'm not buttered up yet. So they exit, and as I walk in, the pressurized door closes on me. And like fast. And it assaults me to the point it hits my head, slams me into the wall. It was the most embarrassing. I wish I had it on video. It was horrible. This is a lawsuit. Well, actually, it's Disney. You have Disney+. So this is an arbitration waiting to happen. I could have easily, easily got a free trip. It was that bad. It was horrible. Like, I sat in that bar chair not knowing if, like, did I lose consciousness for a second there? It fucking knocked my head where I had, like, a welt in my hairline all the way down my cheekbone. I felt like Tommy Boy where he's like, not here or here so much, but right here. That's a good reference. Holy shit. Did anyone see it happen to you? Yes. The people that were exiting out the entrance seen it happen, and I don't blame them. They laughed. They fucking... No, they didn't laugh. They ripped up. They gut laughed. They bursted. I don't blame them, because I absolutely would have... It was a horrific scene, seeing that door press right... I just... It was like a football hit. I've never been hit that hard as an adult. Man, just, oh. So I got to tringe it down. The Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge, what are you doing? And no, I didn't. Because my wife's like, well, did you let somebody know so that other people don't get hurt? And no, they'll experience it themselves. I don't want anything. But that door got the best of me. It nearly knocked me off my feet. Very dangerous. and trending up this week on Lifestyle Market Trends is Halloween. It's that time of the year, Dennis, where in summer people start buying and stockpiling all of their... The deepest, dankest of hearts. Oh, yeah, they got all that gaudy decorations that they're purchasing right now. Ooh, is it the 20-foot skeleton that's trending this year? Ooh, is it the... Yeah, it's one of those deals. Do you decorate for Halloween? Nicole decorates inside in a very, you know, southern, sweet, little, loose, haunted, like nothing scary, just very cutesy. But we don't decorate outside, no. Me and my son are going to try this year. We're going to do the – I want to do the – there's a seven-foot blow-up pumpkin that you put a projector in front of, and it projects onto it as if he has a jack-o'-lantern face and he sings to passers-by. We're going to try that this year because that looks like fun. They can sing Bon Jovi or whatever you want them to sing. But, yeah, we're going to try that. But what about you? Do you decorate for Halloween? Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Of course not. Not one thing. Not for Halloween, no. Like wipe your witch's feet, Matt, or anything like that? No, no. Fall decorating, there's no point. it's not like leaves like you're gonna do you have any sports related stuff you decorate like chiefs or anything like no i don't know i do not roll tide arrowhead up no closest roll tide i i have is every week when i do my laundry oh and that ladies and gentlemen uh numbers don't lie neither do I on Lifestyle Market Transfer Pressurized Edition. Fuck you, Buc-ee's.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 09ba0be8-e26a-49f6-8bcb-05221ad1af8f*