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This week, The Shallow End opens the mailbag—and apparently our listeners have been making questionable decisions all over the world. First, a listener in Germany discovers that noise-canceling earbuds work perhaps a little too well when a forgotten pot of rice bursts into flames. Then an innocent RV hookup mistake turns into one of the most horrifying sewage-related experiences ever submitted to the show. There are unfortunate names, childhood attempts to become part tiger shark, a geography lesson involving the surprising location of Alaska, and an encounter with poison ivy that ends with a very unusual doctor’s recommendation. But the centerpiece may be an Arizona hiking trip that becomes a master class in escalating bad decisions: an 80-pound backpack, brutal sunburn, an unfortunately placed tent, dozens of wasp stings, tequila, a mysterious bagel thief, a badly gashed foot, and some improvised wilderness surgery involving mint-flavored dental floss. It’s a special listener-mail edition of The Shallow End, proving once again that our audience doesn’t merely visit the shallow end. Some of you appear to have taken up permanent residence. Listen now—and please, make good choices. Your life might depend on it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Introducing SYLVESTER STALLONE: “I Wasn’t Stupid. I Was Just Misunderstood.” from On Purpose with Jay Shetty. Follow the show: On Purpose with Jay Shetty Jay sits down with Sylvester Stallone to trace the extraordinary journey from a painful, unwanted childhood to the creation of Rocky, and the $360,000 offer he turned down rather than compromise his self-respect. Stallone reflects on the decades of rejection, health struggles, and career setbacks that shaped the man behind the legend. He opens up about his mother’s emotional distance, his father’s advice on his deathbed, and the life philosophy he discovered only after letting go of the need to constantly fight. With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty Mazda crafts cars for people who do more than simply move. Visit Mazdausa.com to learn more. Consumer reports does not endorse products or services. JAY'S DAILY WISDOM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX Join 900,000+ readers discovering how small daily shifts create big life change with my free newsletter. Subscribe here: https://news.jayshetty.me/subscribe Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast What We Discuss: 00:00 Introduction 01:09 The Steps 01:48 The Fortune Teller Who Predicted His Future 03:39 The Power of Writing Your Thoughts Down 05:10 The Regret of Not Meeting Elvis Presley 05:55 Overcoming His Fear of Public Speaking 08:30 Birth Complications & Childhood Hardships 10:00 Queens Boarding House 11:40 Cinema As Sanctuary 13:23 The Words That Left Internal Scars 14:54 Making Peace With Rejection & "Mirror Therapy" 19:15 Writing About Edgar Allan Poe & Creating Rocky 20:27 Using Cruel Labels As Motivation 24:25 The Hells Angels Story 27:59 Turning Down $360,000 To Sell Rocky 31:35 Imposter Syndrome & Stepping Into Rocky's Shoes 33:29 Channeling Real-Life Pain In Acting 38:00 Rocky As A Love Story 41:26 The Painful Relationship With His Mother 49:45 Parents' Final Days 53:47 Learning To Let Go of Anger 56:12 An 8-Year Career Slump & The Return Of Rocky 59:06 Health Battles, Borrowed Time & Aging Gracefully 01:02:20 What Makes A Good Friend? 01:03:25 The Key To 29 Years of Marriage 01:07:30 Life Before Vs. After 40 01:13:20 The Power Of Dreams & Concrete Vision 01:16:38 Finally Getting His Father's Apology 01:19:35 Sylvester Stallone On Final 5 Episode Resources: The Steps | https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-steps-sylvester-stallone Website | https://sylvesterstallone.com/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/officialslystallone Facebook  | https://www.facebook.com/share/1FMjtjkWJA/?mibextid=wwXIfr Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to [email protected].

Some bad ideas take careful planning. Others apparently require a counterfeit money operation, Abraham Lincoln’s corpse, and absolutely no consideration for how much a lead-lined coffin weighs. This week on The Shallow End with Schnebly and Toth, we travel back to 1876 for one of the strangest criminal schemes in American history: a gang of counterfeiters who decided the solution to their business problems was to steal Abraham Lincoln’s body and hold it for ransom. Unfortunately for them, their crew was crawling with government informants, their getaway plan had a few minor flaws, and even the Secret Service and Pinkerton detectives managed to make the night more chaotic than necessary. Then, we attend a Pittsburgh wedding reception where “for better or worse” gets put to the test almost immediately. A riverboat wedding, an allegedly handsy groom, a pregnant waitress, an angry boyfriend, an off-duty state trooper, a school board member, a shattered car window, and three arrests combine to create one unforgettable wedding night. Plus, a listener learns the hard way why garage doors, two-by-fours, and exposed nails should never be part of a DIY strategy. History proves it once again: people have been making questionable decisions for a very, very long time. The Shallow End with Schnebly and Toth — where bad decisions make great stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A homesick teenager makes the worst travel decision in aviation history: in 1965, Brian Robson had friends nail him into a wooden crate and ship him from Australia toward Wales as air freight. When the crate is rerouted to Los Angeles—and turned upside down—his 36-hour plan becomes a horrifying four-day ordeal. Then, a legally blind, unlicensed Englishman with four bottles of wine in his system decides he absolutely must drive to Scotland. His navigation strategy? Follow the red taillights of a truck on the motorway… until he passes it. Two spectacularly bad plans. Two remarkably lucky endings. This is The Shallow End with Schnebly and Toth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A stolen SUV chase in Florida takes an unexpected turn when a herd of dairy cows decides to assist law enforcement—herding a fleeing suspect straight toward the fence and into custody. Then, a solo sailor attempting to cross the Pacific from California to Hawaii loses his mast, fuel, navigation, and eventually his fresh water… yet somehow survives for more than six weeks using PVC pipe, kayak paddles, oatmeal, and sheer stubbornness. Plus: a listener’s lifelong, surprisingly consistent war with fire; a church mishap that looked suspiciously like an exorcism; and the deep-ocean phobia that makes even a cruise ship feel like a terrible idea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A man drifts 23 miles into the Mediterranean on an inflatable mattress, armed with little more than a piece of wood and a wildly misplaced sense of confidence. Then, an aspiring bodybuilder develops an unconventional training regimen involving steroids, zero exercise and up to 24 beers a day—before wandering away from the competition to visit a pub. Plus, a listener learns why garage-door cables should never be cut with hedge clippers. It’s another collection of spectacularly poor decisions on this episode of The Shallow End with Schnebly and Toth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A man goes looking for another drink and somehow ends up at the center of one of the most bizarre jewelry heists imaginable—complete with stolen construction equipment, a handful of gold, and possibly the least intimidating getaway vehicle in criminal history. Then, a woman in New Zealand suffers cardiac arrest in a supermarket parking lot and is miraculously revived by a passing stranger. But while paramedics are fighting to save her life, someone else is hard at work making sure she doesn’t escape the consequences of overstaying the 90-minute parking limit. Also, a listener shares an unforgettable story from his late uncle’s time as a Marine in Vietnam. It’s another collection of astonishingly poor decisions, bureaucratic absurdity, and the kind of true stories that could only be found in The Shallow End with Schnebly and Toth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A stolen front-end loader leads Massachusetts police on the slowest “high-speed” chase in history—topping out at a blistering 15 miles per hour. Then, a Florida man escapes from a secure mental health facility using a stolen key card, locks the employees inside, and disappears for six days—despite already having 18 outstanding warrants. Schnebley and Toth dive into two true stories featuring heavy machinery, questionable security, one missing Croc, an aging Jeep, and the kind of decision-making that keeps The Shallow End fully stocked. Dive in—the water is still dangerously shallow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A good alibi can keep you out of prison—unless it leads police directly to 84 packets of heroin. This week on The Shallow End, Jethro tells the story of a West Virginia bank robbery suspect who proved he was innocent by confessing to an entirely different crime. Then, Lindsay heads to Florida, where a man allegedly steals $7,000 worth of scratch-off lottery tickets and repeatedly returns to the scene of the crime to cash them. When that brilliant plan fails, his evening somehow gets even worse. Plus, a listener shares a painful lesson involving a fence-post driver, an emergency-room visit, and four staples to the head. Two true stories of criminal miscalculation, spectacularly bad decisions, and people who should have stopped several choices ago. Lifeguards Lindsay and Jethro are on duty, but the warning remains the same: stay out of the deep end. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some criminals spend months planning the perfect crime... then ruin everything with one unbelievably dumb mistake. This week on The Shallow End, Jethro and Schnebly dive into true stories of criminals who practically handed detectives the evidence. From Googling crime scenes and leaving phones behind to wearing GPS ankle monitors during burglaries, these are the real-life cases where the suspects solved the investigation for police. Then, a listener shares one of our favorite Shallow End stories ever: a first-time tandem skydive that goes spectacularly sideways after knocking the instructor unconscious thousands of feet above the ground. And finally, meet the Florida woman whose refusal to wait twenty minutes for a beer during an Uber ride allegedly escalated into one of the most ridiculous assault cases you'll ever hear. It's another trip into the shallow end of the human gene pool, where bad decisions, terrible timing, and astonishingly poor judgment are always on full display. In this episode: Criminals who accidentally created the evidence that convicted them How phones, Google searches, GPS trackers, and even smart refrigerators help solve crimes A tandem skydiving jump that almost became a disaster The bizarre Uber beer stabbing that could have been avoided by a little patience Plus, the usual stories, laughs, and questionable life choices you've come to expect from The Shallow End. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when criminals and thrill-seekers make spectacularly bad decisions? In this classic episode of The Shallow End, an 82-year-old grandmother in Rochester, New York, proves that appearances can be dangerously misleading when a late-night home invader discovers she's an award-winning champion powerlifter. Armed with whatever she can get her hands on, Willie Murphy delivers a lesson he'll never forget. Then, we head to Italy, where a tourist ignores warning signs, climbs a restricted trail on Mount Vesuvius, drops his phone into the crater... and decides it's worth risking his life to get it back. The result is a rescue operation, an arrest, and another reminder that social media isn't always worth the photo. Along the way, JG and Lindsay talk about Pompeii, the terrifying power of Vesuvius, selfie-related accidents, earthquake myths, and why making good decisions is harder than it should be. In this episode: Willie Murphy's incredible home invasion story The champion bodybuilder grandmother who fought back A Mount Vesuvius selfie gone horribly wrong The destruction of Pompeii and the volcano's ongoing danger Selfie accidents and the risks people take for social media Earthquake stories, myths, and near-disasters If you enjoy unbelievable true stories, strange news, dark humor, and people making astonishingly poor life choices, dive into The Shallow End. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on The Shallow End, one innocent armadillo proves that sometimes nature really does fight back. After a Texas homeowner decides the best way to deal with a wandering armadillo is with a .38 revolver, the laws of physics intervene in spectacular fashion, leaving him with a shattered jaw, a helicopter ride, and one of the strangest wildlife stories ever reported. Then it's off to Mississippi, where police stop a car creeping through town at an unusually slow speed—only to discover the driver is completely naked. What begins as an awkward traffic stop quickly spirals into an investigation involving marijuana, illegally modified firearms, multiple law enforcement agencies, and the timeless reminder that if you're going to break the law, breaking several at once is rarely the best strategy. Along the way, the boys swap stories about emergency room visits, stubborn pets, locked cars, and the kinds of everyday mishaps that somehow become family legends. It's another collection of bizarre true stories, spectacularly bad decisions, and the kind of real-life absurdity that proves you could never make this stuff up. In this episode: The Texas armadillo shooting that ricocheted into internet legend Why one bullet changed a homeowner's life forever A naked driver, marijuana, and illegal firearm modifications in Mississippi Listener stories involving dogs, locked vehicles, and accidental chaos True news, dark humor, and the wonderfully ridiculous side of everyday life If you love strange headlines, unbelievable true stories, odd news, and comedy podcasts that find the humor hiding in real life, dive into The Shallow End. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A simple photo of dinner turned into a financial nightmare after one woman accidentally shared a restaurant QR code online—and internet trolls responded. It's one of the strangest examples yet of how everyday technology can go spectacularly wrong. Then, a heartbreaking crime takes an unexpected turn. After a thief steals the cash from two young siblings' lemonade stand, their community rallies in an extraordinary display of generosity, transforming a $40 loss into an example of proving that kindness can sometimes overwhelm cruelty. Along the way, JG and Jethro discuss bizarre online scams, food photography gone wrong, Chinese restaurant traditions, the surprising origin of "Husband and Wife Lung Slices," and why humanity still manages to restore your faith in people when you least expect it. If you enjoy weird news, unbelievable true stories, bizarre internet fails, hilarious conversations, and uplifting real-life moments, you'll love this episode of The Shallow End. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some people make mistakes. Others commit to them. This week on The Shallow End, JG and Jethro dive into two unbelievable true stories where one bad decision somehow keeps getting worse. First, a Florida traffic stop takes an astonishing turn when a routine arrest leads to an X-ray scanner, a mysterious "anomaly," and one of the most creative excuses police have heard in years. Then it's off to New York City, where the Knicks' championship celebration produces an unlikely viral celebrity after a woman allegedly steals a commemorative city trash can—in broad daylight, on camera, and even rides the subway with it. Along the way, the guys swap stories about Fred Willard's improvisational genius, laugh over patriotic misunderstandings in Scotland, and ask the important questions: How does someone think any of this is going to work? It's another collection of real news that's stranger than fiction, proving once again that the shallow end of the gene pool is always open. In this episode: Florida traffic stop turns into a bizarre cocaine arrest The New York Knicks championship trash can theft Viral videos, body cams, and spectacularly poor judgment Fred Willard, Christopher Guest, and the art of improv Listener mail from Scotland and more If you enjoy bizarre true news, strange crime stories, dark humor, and people making spectacularly questionable life choices, you'll feel right at home in The Shallow End. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From people who think Spain is in South America to someone convinced milk isn't dairy, this episode of The Shallow End dives headfirst into some of the funniest—and most bewildering—examples of internet ignorance ever posted online. Are Americans really getting dumber, or are social media algorithms simply rewarding spectacular confidence? Then it's off to Florida, where a heated pickleball dispute ends with a bloodied player, felony charges, and a nurse accused of attacking someone with a pickleball paddle after an argument over a game. It's one of those true news stories that somehow gets stranger the more details you learn. Plus, a listener shares an unforgettable middle-school stunt involving a Huffy bicycle, three flights of concrete stairs, disappearing pants, horrified river rafters, and an injury hidden from his parents for six weeks. If you enjoy bizarre true news, unbelievable real-life stories, dry humor, and the kind of conversations that make you wonder how humanity has survived this long, you've found your people. In this episode: Hilarious examples of viral internet misinformation Geography, history, and cultural misconceptions The shocking Florida pickleball assault case A painfully funny bicycle crash from a listener The usual questionable life advice from Schnebly & Toth Subscribe to The Shallow End for weekly true stories, strange news, listener disasters, and comedy from two lifelong radio friends who firmly believe reality is weirder than fiction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices