Why WDW Today Is Ending After 1000 Episodes

Many people have bought into the rumor that WDW Today is ending after their 1000th episode.  The truth is it's not a rumor but a fact.  However, the members of WDW Today have not been honest about why they are ending the podcast.  In fact each member has their own reason for ending the show.  I know why.

Extensive research and hacking into each members personal computer has allowed me to bring you this ground breaking information.

Len Testa:  Len Testa is returning to his home planet where he is accepting a position with the Intergalactic Federation.  His primary job will be the spreading tequila throughout the universe.

Matt Hochberg:  Matt Hochberg will be focusing on his family.  His goal is to have at least 15 children in an effort to score a reality TV show.  It is unknown if his wife is on board with this plan or not.  If his wife decides against this plan Matt will just clone himself 14 times.

Mike Scopa:  Mike will be going back to crime fighting.  Instead of a cop he is going to become a vigilante super hero.  He will punish criminals by making them run until they pass out.  Then he will place them at Gospel Brunch in Disney World to teach them some morals.

Mike Newell:  Mike Newell is going back to the drawing board and will be working to make Mouse World Radio more addictive before the feds catch on and outlaw it. If they catch on he already has his house wired to explode but not until he and Mary escape in his home made hot air balloon.

Annette Owens:  Annette will be organizing her army and taking over a yet to be named third world country in South America.  Once she takes it over she will install herself as a ruthless dictator who makes everyone wear high heels.

Fred Hazelton:  Fred will pursue his life long goal of escaping Canada.

Deb Wills: Deb will be returning to her previous life (see How Does Deb Wills Do It).


A.J. From the Food Blog: AJ is planing on eating around the world.  This will most likely prove fatal as we have seen from Sip Snack and Sic.

Henry Work: As many people know Henry got a job at Disney.  What he doesn't know is that they are going to scan him, dispose of him, and create a new AI Animatronic.  No one will be able to tell the difference because most people confuse Henry for an animatronic anyways.

The Annual CMDTA Disney Podcast Awards

Every year or when I get around to it I do my annual Disney podcast awards. Like my blog my awards tend to be...different.

Here are this years awards:

Best Disney Podcast for People Who Don't Like Disney - Netcot

Netcot was a shoe in for this award. There hasn't been a Netcot episode since November so therefore anyone who doesn't like Disney would love it.


Best weekly news report in a Disney Podcast - Inside the Magic

Ricky does a consistently good job each and every week of nailing the all the Disney news.  Others try to do the news but no one does it quite as well.


Least Critical Podcast - WDW Radio Show

On the WDW Radio Show the sun is always out, the food is never crappy or overpriced.


Most Critical Disney Podcast - The DIS Unplugged

This isn't a bad thing.  This is honest criticism that most people would understand.  When Pete goes on a rant it's normally for a very good reason.


Nerdiest Disney Podcast - Betamouse

This one isn't even close.  Betamouse is for Nerds and by nerds.  They cover the stuff you won't hear anywhere else.


Deekiest Podcast - WDWNT Podcast

No one goes into greater detail on more obscure Disney history than this podcast.  This podcast is do deeky that even some deeks think it's too deeky.


The Disney Podcast for Beginners - WDW Today

You ask they answer...no matter how many times they have already answered the same question.  No one is more welcoming that the crazy odd couple like cast at WDW Today.


Disney Podcast Most Likely to Predict the Disney Future - Magical Definations

Jim Hill has connections and he's not afraid to use them to leak all sorts or crazy info of give you the back story to what is going on.

CMDTA’s 1st Annual Disney Podcast Awards

I know there are some legitimate podcast awards out there.  Those are no fun.  I’m doing podcast awards my way.  You won’t find your normal categories on this list.  In fact no one else does a Disney Podcast Award (I think).

The “I thought they died” Award:

This one was tough.  Annette Owens took a big break from WDW Today.  Most years she’d walk away with this award except Van from Netcot only put out a couple episodes this year. Congrats Van! I thought you were dead!

Best Rant

In this category Pete Werner from the DIS Unplugged is nominated…about 15 times. So it’s Pete vs. Himself!  I guess that takes the suspense out of who wins but not for what!  Pete wins for his rant on the “Sick Show.” He was the only person on that episode and he still took the time to do a rant!  Now there is an example of going above and beyond.

Goofiest Guest

In terms of Disney – It’s good to be Goofy!  Out of all the countless guests, who was the goofiest?  The award goes to Tim “Bananas” Foster on the WDW Radio show.  What can you say?  The guy sounds like a dufus and he is a major deek.  Of course I mean that in a good way.

Award for the Podcast with the Most inside Jokes

The winner by a massive margin is WDW Today! When you have to check the wiki at least once in every podcast you know there are a lot of inside jokes.  Arrrgh MONGELLO!!!

Best New Personality Not on Their Own Show or Own Segment for that Matter

Congrats Princess Lisa!  It’s good to know someone is keeping Skipper Ben in line.

Award for the Most Insane Episode

You’d think WDW Today would win this one.  You would be wrong.  This goes to Inside the Magic for its year end review. It clocked in at over five hours. FIVE HOURS! Some people don’t sleep that long at night.

Podcaster Most Likely to be Caught Picking His Nose on a Ride

The first name that comes to mind is Lou Mongello.  However, Lou loves to eat and that’s just gross so this award goes to Len Testa!  Congrats Len!

Most Addicted Podcaster

Ricky Brigante for his Haunted Mansion addiction!  Don’t be surprised if he dies on this attraction while trying to set the consecutive ride record.

The Odd Couple Award

Who doesn’t love an odd combo?  Even the Disney Podcast Community has one.  Congrats Jim Hill and Nathan Rose from the Magical Definitions Podcast!

Most Likely to Die a Death Somehow Related to Van Halen While in a Disney Park

Do I even have to say this one?  Congrats Len Testa!

Most Likely to be Mistaken for the Yeti

Congrats Mike Scoppa!  Most people don’t know this but if you shave the Yeti you find he’s Mike Scoppa’s long lost brother.

Tent Fest Revenge

I planned my trip to Disney World when buy four get three free was announced. I was excited because I got the dates I was looking at and the resort I wanted.

Something happened a few days later that was discouraging. An announcement was made on the WDW Today Podcast that Tent Fest would happen in March starting on the 5^th. I was discouraged because that meant that I would only get to check it out on the 5^th.

My discouragement got worse when the Tent Fest schedule was released. Tent Fest would start at 3pm. I leave for the airport at 4pm, making it impossible to enjoy any of the Tent Fest shenanigans.

I thought this was odd. Why would the event line up perfectly so I would miss all of it despite being in WDW? Well, I looked into it.

The timing of Tent Fest was perfectly planned to keep me from attending. That might sound odd and you might ask why would the guys at WDW Today want to keep the Cousin Mickey Doesn’t Talk About out of their party?

Here is why. I exposed the truth behind Matt Hochberg’s absence from the podcast when he got “married.” I told everyone that he really took the time off to participate in the “Not So Amazing Race” with Van of the Netcot podcast. That was supposed to be a secret. (see the Hochberg Conspiracy)

I also exposed why Matt is afraid of Dinosaur. He doesn’t like the fact that I told the world about his run in with Barney the dinosaur. (See Matt Hochberg Isn’t Afraid of Dinosaur)

I also exposed the secrets of the other members of the WDW Today podcast. Like Len Testa being an alien (Len Testa – Tequila – The Shocking Connection), Mike Scopa being a cyborg (Mike Scopa’s Dark Secret), Mike Newell being a criminal mastermind (Don’t Mess With Mike Newell), and Annette Owens being an evil warlord (Annette Owens – Butt Kicker).

I thought those were harmless. It’s not like the stuff I wrote about Lou Mongello. You don’t see Mongello harboring a grudge.

Next time I’m going to wait until they plan something, sign up under a fake name, then crash the event with a car full of poo flinging monkeys (I know I haven’t mentioned poo flinging monkeys in a long time).

How to Make It to Your Trip

I have less than thirty days until my trip. This is one of the worst times. You are too far out to do anything productive except sit in your seat and twitch.

I’m normally really good about blocking vacations out of my head so I don’t get excited about them until I leave for the airport. Disney is the only exception. Since I was a kid I’d be nuts as soon as I found out I was going to Disney and didn’t really calm down until I was there.

One thing that helps with keeping any vacation out of your mind is looking ahead to see everything that is between you and your trip. That might not sound like it would calm you down but when you list out all the too dos it does. For example when you realize you have two hair cuts, eight paydays, a dentist appointment, a handful of dates, and a number of others things it tends to take the air out of your sails.

That really works if you only put positive things on your list. Then you realize you have other fun things coming up. If you don’t have any fun things coming up you need to get out more. Go see a movie or something.

I will say something you should not do. Do not listen to Disney podcasts. That really does not help calm you down. In fact it just makes it worse. Another thing that really doesn’t help is looking at old photos. I think that’s actually worse than listening to podcasts.

The WDW Today Chronicles

As you may or may not know I pull a lot of my ideas from the Disney community. I’ve done posts on the gang at the DIS, Ricky Brigante, Lou Mongello, Nathan Rose, Jim Hill, Deb Wills, and Van at Netcot. However no one has been abuse more than the gang at the WDW Today Podcast.

I’ve done so many posts about WDW Today I couldn’t keep track of them. That’s why I organized everything I’ve written into the WDW Today Chronicles. Below is an organized brake down…or record of abuse depending on how you look at it.

Matt Hochberg

The Hochberg Conspiracy: This was the post that started it all. An epic death match between Van at Netcot and Matt Hochberg which landed on of them in the hospital for more than a month.

Matt Hochberg Isn’t Afraid of Dinosaur: I reveal the why Matt claims to be afraid of Dinosaur including his secret encounter with Barney.

Len Testa

Len Testa – Tequila – The Shocking Connection: The first full post on Len Testa turned out to be a shocker. So many questions were answered in this post. Why Len acts like he does, why people drink Moxie, why Len loves Tequila, and who actually likes Stich’s Great Escape.

Len Testa Hates Donald Duck: I expose a huge, brutal feud between Len and Donald Duck in this post. From duck eating to alien abuse, it’s all here.

Massive Fire in NC Linked to Podcast Personality: I explain why it’s not a good idea to abuse an iPhone in this post about Len’s addiction to Mouse World Radio.

Mexico’s Tequila Bar Has Disastrous Opening: Everyone knows Len loves Tequila. So what could go wrong with Disney opening up a Tequila Bar? Maybe insane bingeing and cast member abuse?

Disney Worlds Unofficial Marathons: Not a full post about Len but I did name a unofficial marathon after him.

Authorities Track Maple Syrup Abuse to Disney Podcast: And you thought it was funny when Len drank maple syrup. He started a crisis with far reaching consequences.

Mike Scopa

Mike Scopa’s Dark Secret: Possibly the most demented post I’ve ever done about another human being. Did you know how old Mike Scopa really is? I expose it in this story.

Awful Weather Predicted for the First Week of March: What happens when Mike Scopa goes to Disney World? It rains, freezes, or some other weather nightmare. It’s so bad the weatherman have started basing predictions on his trips.

Mike Newell

Don’t Mess With Mike Newell: It’s always the quiet ones. You’d never guess Mike Newell was an evil mastermind would you?

Epcot Runs Out of Nachos: Did you know Mike Newell started an epidemic?

Annette Owens

Annette Owens: Butt Kicker: You think Annette is a nice southern belle don’t you? HA! I expose the truth in this shocking story. Beware of Annette’s Army.

General

WDW Today Starts Their Fifth Season Without a Fatality: Yes there is a reason why no fatalities is surprising.

Facebook is Evil but Everyone Is On It: Guess who is quick draw McGraw on Facebook.

WDW Today Does the Oregon Trail: What would happen if the gang from the WDW Today Podcast were forced to do the Oregon Trail? It was anything but fabulous.

One Big Dysfunctional Family: Ever been on a live show? You don’t know what you are missing.

Podcasts

There are a number of Disney podcasts out there. Each one has its own flavor. Some are serious, some are funny, and some just exist. I thought I really stoke the fire and rank them. Not all of them. Just the ones I listen to. If you listen to another podcast not listed let me know and I’ll check it out. Here are the things I take into consideration. Information, Humor, Guest Hosts, Diversity, Community, Cheese and Oddity.

#1 WDW Today

Information Factor 9
Funny Factor 8
Guest Factor 3
Diversity 8
Oddity 8
Community 8
Cheese 5

Four guys – One Girl – One show. I don’t think I’ve seen a combo like this since the five stooges. I say five because there were five people who played the three stooges. I’ll let you figure out who is who. There is no question they cannot answer. There are numerous runny jokes. Some of their topics are ridiculous and they occasionally have a random person join them. The cheese comes from their song. It’s decent but cheesy. MONGELLO!

#2 – This one was VERY close but number two goes to the Magical Definitions podcast.

Information Factor 10+
Funny Factor 4
Guest Factor 1
Diversity 5
Oddity 10
Community 4
Cheese 1

Jim Hill is the reason this one comes in second place. I don’t know where he gets his info. I don’t know if he makes it up or he really has some inside sources. Either way I can’t stop listening when he tells a story. He’s the Josephus of Disney. The format of this podcast odd too, it just seems to happen. A lot of the others have ridged formats this has no real format that I can detect, just two guys talking Disney. They are an odd couple too. I don’t know how these two found each other but it works.

#3 The Dis Unplugged

Information Factor 8
Funny Factor 7
Guest Factor 7
Diversity 10
Oddity 3
Community 10++++
Cheese 3

No podcast has a bigger heart. They know their stuff and they go beyond the parks. They are a strange mix too, a young married couple, a recovering alcoholic who hides nothing, a man who just wants decent meal with his mother in tow, and a total hodgepodge or random people along for the ride. They have a peanut gallery. They often start laughing so hard you think they are going to ruin a Depends. They have a prize thingy (sorry I don’t know the proper spelling of prizeamatron). They also have such a big Disney community around them that you can’t tell where the podcast ends and where the community begins. That was proven with the loss of Bob Varley. Let’s go grab a Dole Whip!

#4 NETCOT

Information Factor 7
Funny Factor 2
Guest Factor 6
Diversity 5
Oddity 3
Community 5
Cheese 9

You may wonder why the cheese factor is so high on this podcast. It’s the outtakes, the music, and the transitions. What really makes this podcast standout are the countdowns. They are great and almost always interesting.

#5 This was very close but it goes to Inside the Magic.

Information Factor 7
Funny Factor 2
Guest Factor 4
Diversity 5
Oddity 3
Community 5
Cheese 7

Ricky does a good job with packing a lot of info into his podcast. Sometimes he runs out and packs a bunch of Disney music in there. I normally don’t enjoy that. Some people love it. If I want Disney music I’ll listen to my iPod or go to wdwradio.com. That’s why his cheese factor is so high. He tries to have a good variety of topics and tries to keep it different.

#6 – The WDW Radio Show

Information Factor 8
Funny Factor 2
Guest Factor 8
Diversity 3
Oddity 3
Community 5
Cheese 4

MONGELLO! The walking Disney Trivial Pursuit pulls this one off on a weekly basis. He has a wide variety of guests and keeps me wondering who he manages to find so many Disney legends on his show. Even his creepy fascination with tiny Lolita and Samantha Brown isn’t enough to scare me away. The music he plays in the background can be distracting at times. Sometimes his show just goes too long and you get bored but overall it’s a great show.

Before anyone starts complaining about who should be where just remember this, if you do anything and come in the top ten, you’re doing an exceptional job.