Arby’s 2 with John Hodgman

"Arby's 2 with John Hodgman" is Episode 128 of *Doughboys*, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Arby's 2 with John Hodgman" was released on November 2, 2017.

## Synopsis

Writer and comedian John Hodgman (*Judge John Hodgman*, *Vacationland*) joins the 'boys for their return trip to Arby's to review some of the latest menu selections, and to chat about New England food and being young instrumentalists. Plus, a mysterious edition of Snack or Wack.

## Nick's intro

"*I feel that being an artist is about giving and I'd like to give this to you.*"

With these words, a tearful Ving Rhames handed the Best Actor Golden Globe he'd just won to legendary thespian, Jack Lemmon - a humble tribute to an actor who'd inspired his career. The late Lemmon called the on-stage gesture at the 1998 Globes ceremony "one of the nicest, sweetest moments I've ever known in my life."

Four years earlier, Rhames, a hulking character actor with a distinct, resonant voice, had delivered a breakout performance in Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film, *Pulp Fiction*, as menacing crime boss Marcellus Wallace, described in Tarantino and Roger Avery's screenplay as "a cross between a gangster and a king." First introduced in an unbroken, over-the-shoulder shot that highlighted an unexplained band-aid on the back of his head (Tarantino later clarified it was to cover the actor's scar for the camera), Rhames' Wallace hoarded a disproportionate chunk of the movie's memorable lines.

Rhames' career ascended several ladder rungs after the film and he's since delivered memorable performances in commercial hits like *Con Air* and the *Mission Impossible* franchise and scene-stealing turns in critical hits like Soderbergh's *Out Of Sight* and Scorsese's *Bringing Out The Dead*.

Flash forward to 2011: America's second-largest sandwich chain, which had been founded back in Ohio in 1964, had just posted a $35 million loss. With its sales declining, and with its heavy, unhealthy food having become a pop-culture punching bag ridiculed by *The Simpsons*, *Seinfeld*, and *The Daily Show*, the company launched a turn-around plan that involved revamping the menu, as well as its marketing.

Enlisting a new ad agency, in 2013, the eatery began centering its commercials, not on sandwiches in general, but on the stuff between the bread: the meat.

With a series of self-aware spots that took ownership of its distinct menu offerings, the chain found its voice... literally, hiring as their voiceover spokesman Ving Rhames. As with his extensive film and T.V. work, Rhames deployed his bellowing pipes to add heft and gravitas to the restaurant's ridiculous tagline: "We have the meats."

The ad campaign was a huge success, injecting fun and playfulness into an aging brand and increasing its proportion of under-35 customers by 15%.

And so, Ving Rhames, the golden-voiced actor who gave his Golden Globe away, just may have provided this roast-beef behemoth with a golden touch.

This week on *Doughboys*, we return to Arby's.

## Fork rating

This was the Doughboys' second visit to Arby's. On the previous Arby's episode, Nick rated it 4 forks and Mitch gave it 3.5 forks.

* Loaded Curly Fries
* Cookie Butter Shake
 Mike Mitchell
 John Hodgman
 shared
* Chicken Pepperoni Parm Sandwich
* Deep Fried Turkey Gobbler
* Buffalo Chicken Slider

## Snack or Wack

In Snack or Wack, the Doughboys have a snack and rate it either 'snack' or 'wack.'

For this episode, they try Mystery Oreo, which appeared ordinary, but with an unknown flavor inside. They also tried to guess the flavor.

Nick saw a guess of Fruity Pebbles on Twitter, and Mitch agreed with that. John guessed orange, and then Fruit Loops. Nick also focused on the orange flavor, and then decided to guess Trix.

 Mike Mitchell
 John Hodgman

[*Later, Oreo announced that the mystery flavor was indeed Fruity Pebbles.* -ed.]

## Related Episodes

* 128. **Arby's 2**
* DD. Greek Bats
* 304. Arby's 3
* DD. Hero's Journey: Sub-Obtimal: Nonstandard Region
* 342. Hero's Journey: Sub-Optimal: Semi-Soft Finals
* 343. Hero's Journey: Sub-Optimal: Finals
* 186. Delta Sky Club
* 211. Papa Gino's
* DD. Friendly's
* 229. Regina Pizzeria
* 258. Trader Joe's
* 284. Popeyes 3
* THON21./309. Taco Bell 6
* 338. Tyga Bites
* 370. Pirate's Booty
* DD. Water 4: Avatar: The Way Of Water
* 386. Spitz
* 391. BOWL: Finale
* DD. Oops! All Segments!

## Photos (via @doughboyspod)

Chicken Pepperoni Parm SandwichDeep Fried Turkey Gobbler SandwichCookie Butter ShakeLoaded Curly Fries