Extraordinary vs. Extra Ordinary

More from Endless Thread All episodes →

1. 

   29 May 2026 · 26 min

   The Church of Speedrun!

   Try reading this description as fast as you can: Ben and Amory zoom through two internet stories connected to speed running, including a look at a mysterious object on Reddit and an online trend directed at the Church of Scientology. Show notes: Found in my son’s room (Reddit) Storming Scientology Buildings: TikTok Trend or Hate Crime? (The New York Times) What is a ‘Scientology speedrun’ and why is social media suddenly obsessed with it? (The Guardian)

2. 

   22 May 2026 · 24 min

   Endless Egg

   Some Internet trends are temporary, but eggs are forever. Today, host Ben Brock Johnson serves up a story about a recipe that, according to the people of r/pickled, can't be beat, and producer Kalyani Saxena egg-splores online discourse around Korean mayak eggs, and why it matters which creators get credit for their popularity. Show notes: "Been a few years now. Figured I’d share my recipe." ( r/pickling ) The eggs so addictive authorities want to change their name ( The Sydney Morning Herald ) How a South Korean comfort food went global ( BBC ) "Marinade recipe" (@courtneylcook's TikTok)…

3. 

   15 May 2026 · 27 min

   Manifesting an online rom-com existence

   Of all the internet communities in all the world, you walked into ours. Hosts Ben and Amory pay homage to the magic of chance encounters with producer Grace Tatter. Together, they explore the ways in which the internet fuels random yet delightful meetings between strangers online, from a website where you can impersonate ChatGPT to Craigslist's beloved Missed Connections page. Show notes: YourAISlopBores.Me What Craigslist’s missed connections are still good for (The Bold Italic) Credits: This episode was produced by Kalyani Saxena. Mix and sound design by Marquis Neal. It was edited by Meg…

4. 

   8 May 2026 · 25 min

   Ben Palmer's Brain

   Comedian Ben Palmer set up a fake tip line for reporting immigrants in the United States suspected of not having legal status. He recorded the conversations, and things... got uncomfortable and, in some cases, disturbing. But for a lot of viewers, these calls were surprisingly funny. How does Ben Palmer withstand the awkwardness and maintain his deadpan delivery as he trolls unsuspecting Americans trying to get their neighbors deported? And how did he go from being your average stand-up comic, doing sets after his day job, to creating viral social commentary full-time? Show notes: He made a…

5. 

   5 May 2026 · 21 min

   Endless Thread presents "The Midnight Rebellion"

   Introducing The Midnight Rebellion, a new climate fiction podcast from WBUR — a rollicking adventure to a flooded, robot-infested world where you choose what happens. When Joule Watts-Green steps into her mom’s mysterious machine, she’s swept off to a polluted city of tides. Streets are rivers, “tin-skins” shoot lightning, and everyone eats gooey Algae-Os. To get home, Joule must be brave, clever, and make friends. She may even discover how to save the world — with your help . Each chapter ends with a choice. YOU decide what’s next. This is Chapter 1. Triumph or failure, it’s up to you.…

6. 

   24 Apr 2026 · 33 min

   Close Encounters of the Hexagonal Kind

   Endless Thread goes to space! First, host Ben Brock Johnson goes deep on radio signals of unknown origin, with an assist from real-life radio astronomer and Reddit MVP Yvette Cendes, aka, Andromeda321. Then, producer Kalyani Saxena takes Ben down the metaphorical black hole of Saturn's hexagonal storm, a massive vortex twice the width of the Earth that's inspired internet conspiracy theories every bit as unweildy. Show notes: This storm never ends: Saturn’s north pole ( Reddit ) Cassini Images Bizarre Hexagon on Saturn ( NASA ) Cassini: Saturn's Perplexing Hexagon ( NASA ) Credits: This…

7. 

   17 Apr 2026 · 28 min

   A Beige New World

   What's your favorite color? If you ask the algorithm, the answer is probably beige. The internet loves neutrals. Aesthetic coffee shop videos feature white walls and minimalist decor. Influencers film from houses decked out with all the beige fixings. When you shop online, you'll be presented with products in a wide range of bland colors — from eggshell, to taupe, to... slightly darker taupe. So where did all the color go? Hayley DeRoche, a librarian and writer known as SadBeige on Tiktok, has been watching this unfold for a while. Hosts Ben and Amory talk with Hayley about the internet's…

8. 

   10 Apr 2026 · 21 min

   How Afroman turned lemons into lemon pound cake

   When you think of rapper Afroman, chances are his early 2000s hit song "Because I Got High" is already playing in your mind. More than two decades later, his music has once again broken containment. Host Ben Brock Johnson and Producer Grace Tatter dig into how Afroman turned a police raid and defamation trial into another moment of internet virality. Show notes: Afroman surveillance footage (Instagram) "These lemon poundcake shirts are going fast !!!" (Instagram) Cop Says Afroman's False 'Pedophile' Claim Caused Him To Quit Sheriff's Office (YouTube) Credits: This episode was produced by…

9. 

   3 Apr 2026 · 29 min

   Rewind: Digging Deep with TikTok's "tunnel girl"

   In this throwback from the Endless Thread archives, hosts Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson revisit an episode from 2024. In 2022, a TikTok creator who identifies herself as "Kala" began digging. What followed was an increasingly viral series of TikToks chronicling the efforts of Kala, who some on the internet dubbed "Tunnel Girl," as she excavated and constructed a tunnel system under her suburban home. Her more than half-million followers watched and weighed in with support, suggestions and, at times, concern. That is, until a stop-work order halted the project in its tracks. Two years…

10. 

    27 Mar 2026 · 29 min

    Beautiful, Terrible Internet

    Warning: This episode contains multitudes! Hosts Ben and Amory explore how viral clips of DOGE staffers' video depositions found a new life online after a judge temporarily ordered them removed. They also dabble in a Reddit thought exercise with a potentially dubious origin Show notes: DOGE staffer who flagged grants for 'DEI' struggles to define the term (The Independent) LPT: I started pretending my life is a TV show and it made me more productive (Reddit) Credits: This episode was produced by Kalyani Saxena and hosted by Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson. It was edited by Meg Cramer.…