Tombstone (the pizza) with Blank Check

"Tombstone (the pizza) with Blank Check" is Episode 250 of *Doughboys*, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Tombstone (the pizza) with Blank Check" was released on May 7, 2020.

## Synopsis

**Tombstone Week** continues (and **Topical Freeze** begins) as *Blank Check Podcast* hosts Griffin Newman and David Sims return to review frozen pizza brand Tombstone and to play another edition of Family Food.

## Nick's intro

May 10, 1869 marked the first completed transcontinental railroad route in the United States. The massive expansion of the nation's rail system in the mid-19th century would contribute to a rush of westward migration, later romanticized in motion pictures as "The Wild West."

But it wasn't just the high deserts of Cali-for-ni-ay that were affected; much of the country would be reshaped by the commerce and travel that rail transit would facilitate and by the establishment of outposts along the many routes criss-crossing the continent.

And one of those outposts was the sleepy town of Medford, Wisconsin (named for a Massachusetts city of the same name), built straddling the Wisconsin Central Railroad and chosen as the site of a circuit courthouse.

The next century, in the 1960s, as the country's rail system, like much of its infrastructure, would be neglected or actively dismantled, brothers Ronald and Pep Simek moved to Medford from Chicago and would take over operating a tavern overlooking a cemetery and named for a grave marker. The brothers lived it up as barkeeps at the spooky speakeasy until, as legend tells it, Pep suffered a severely broken leg that forced him to ease up on the partying and focus on the tavern's secondary source of revenue, pizza.

As Pep's 'za recipe improved and sales rose, the Simeks started packing their pies in dry ice and delivering them by car to paying customers to be reheated in home ovens. The take-and-bake concept struck gold like a lucky prospector and the Brothers Simek would leave the bar behind entirely and develop a multi-million dollar frozen-pizza empire which would be sold to Kraft and then to Nestlé.

But the processed-foods megacorps retained the brand's boneyard-evoking name and, fitting for a company established in a town founded as a 19th-century railway stop, would reference the Wild West in its marketing - most famously in a grim 1990 television commercial where a captured marshall about to be hanged was asked by his executioner, "What do you want on your Tombstone?"

This week on *Doughboys*, part 2 of **Tombstone Week**, as we review Tombstone Pizza.

[*It is also the start of **Topical Freeze**, a month where The Doughboys focus on frozen-food items instead of chain restaurants. - ed.*]

## Fork rating

* Supreme
* 5 Cheese
 Mike Mitchell
 David Sims
* Pepperoni
 Griffin Newman
* Pepperoni

Tombstone Pizza is thus the premiere member of the Frozen Plate Club. However, two episodes later, Mitch learned that Griffin received an offer for free Tombstone Pizzas after this episode, so he lowered his score to 3.75 forks out of jealousy. This canonically removed it from the Frozen Plate Club.

## Tombstone rating

The Doughboys end Tombstone Week by deciding if they prefer the movie or the pizza.

 Mike Mitchell
 David Sims
 Griffin Newman

## Family Food

In Family Food, Nick finds a food-related survey, and Mitch and the guest guess the results.

For this episode with the *Blank Check* podcast hosts, Nick has a list of the best food movies. The others guess what is on the list; whoever gets the most without getting three strikes wins.

Due to a screw-up, Nick has them guess the #8-14 most popular food movies on the list, not the actual top food movies.

 ~~*Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle*~~ (X)
 *~~Diner~~* (X)

## Related Episodes

* 250. **Tombstone (the pizza)**
* 251. Tina's Burritos
* 252. Ore-ida
* 253. Marie Callendar's Meals
* DD. Tombstone (the movie)
* 250. **Tombstone (the pizza)**
* 260. Costco
* DD. BK Kid's Club Is Back!
* 324. Nathan's Famous
* DD. Muppet Treasure Island
* 376. Eataly
* DD. Gorko's Planet Clergmas Spectacular
* 250. **Tombstone (the pizza)**
* THON21. Doughathon
* DD. Pig (the movie)
* 376. Eataly
* DD. Gorko's Planet Clergmas Spectacular

## Photos

Tombstone Supreme PizzaTombstone Pepperoni PizzaTombstone 5 Cheese Pizza