We're back, and we've got a Jilly Box! This time, we're yapping a LOT about TV and movies, minimal Bachelor Nation news, lots of Jilly, and we talk about our plans to cover the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives in September on "Soda Jerks" - same place you get this podcast, just a slight rebrand on Pop Culture Diner. So check us in a couple weeks when we come back with that, plus some more book reviews on the horizon! 

Rose Plate Special: Jilly Box, Fall 2026 

It may be bleak in Bacheor nation, but hey, we have a JILLY BOX to open! It's a summer of pickleball and us figuring out what topics we'lll cover next. Tune in soon, we have SOME plans, we swear! 

Rose Plate Special: Jilly Box Summer 2026 and Bachelor Nation Updates

Is this the last episode of Rose Plate Special ever? Tune in to find out!


We talk Taylor Fankie Paul, the Mormon wives, a little Bravo news, and compare the TFP situation with what Rachel Lindsey covers in her book, Miss Me With That.

Rose Plate Special: The Taylor Frankie Paul Situation

We're back! Did you miss us! 

Another season of The Bachelorette is looming on the horizon (and it's MORMON and on SUNDAYS), but until that arrives, we have something else to share with you - our latest Jilly Box! 

Join us on YouTube to see the box in all its glory, or just listen to us and imagine what the items are. We'll be back soon with a talk about Rachel Lindsay's book, Miss Me With That, and the new season of The Bachelorette later this month. 

Rose Plate Special: Jilly Box, Spring 2026 

We've got another special episode for you, this time featuring the Winter 2025 Jilly Box! That's right, tariffs be damned, we got the Jilly Box! This one will be better in video form, so if you usually give us a listen, seek us out on YouTube or something, why don't you? 

Next week, we'll be covering at least 2, if not more, Christmas Carol-related movies. Did you know there are 247 of them? 

Rose Plate Special: Jilly Box, Winter 2025

Another crossover episode and another gentle reminder that we will be publishing some episodes like this with other friends as well on thehorrors.co in the coming months. Keep an eye on that space and we will send more details as we have them! Thehorrorsdotco on all social media pages as well! 

If you want to hear us babble, start from the beginning. For The Network overview, start at 30 min in. 

Some things we mention on the pod: 

 * Sammi's sweater is from Oxknit [https://www.oxknit.com/] (sponsor me, Oxknit!) 
 * Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy on Netflix [https://www.netflix.com/title/81554996]
 * Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career by Kristi Coulter [https://bookshop.org/lists/the-horrors-persist-book-list] - a must-read for people who want to hear about early days at Amazon (I've added an affiliate code so if you order from there, I may get a little bit of money) 
 * Movies with loose ties to Network in theme, tone, and message include: Nightcrawler, Late Night With the Devil, Spotlight, Zodiac 
 * If you haven't already, check out "The Danish Deception" on TikTok 

The Horrors Persist: Network Review

Quick edit: At 28 min, Sammi says "The Sound of Music." She meant "Singing in the Rain." 

In light of the recent censorship on behalf of ABC/Disney, we decided it was a good time to talk about some important movies and other pieces related to censorship and the media. Yes, we will likely return to Bachelor Nation, but not right now! For the time being, consider this a crossover episode into a new podcast that will be launching soon - The Horrors Persist. 

For our first episode, we cover A Face in the Crowd, a 1957 movie starring Andy Griffith. Steve describes it is as  movie that covers the first influencer. Sammi describes it by saying it's like what Being There would be like if the main character was a dick. Either way, we hope you enjoy it! 

You can watch this movie on Tubi if you're looking for a place to stream it, at least as of the time of this publishing. Some other things we cover: 

 * The Culture of Narcissism by Christopher Lasch 
 * Food for Nought, a book by Ross Hume Hall 
 * In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson 
 * Welcome to Me 
 * Citizen Kane
 * Network
 * Ace in the Hole 

If you want to keep up with more horror and horror-adjacent work (this one is definitely adjacent, but horror-like based on the state of things), make sure you check out theorrors.co [https://thehorrors.co/]. There will be much more on there soon! 

The Horrors Persist (Crossover Ep): A Face in the Crowd 

We are just as messy with our notes (OK, Sammi is) as the Mormon Wives are with their friendships. We talk about the middle of the second season of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives while we unbox the last (for now) Jilly Box from Fall 2025. Sad days, but warm vibes from that scalloped baking tray. 

Soda Jerks: Fall 2025 Jilly Unboxing and Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Season 2, Episodes 5-6 (and 7 a little) 

This one sat in the drafts for a second, friends. SO sorry! Blame Sammi and her first week back to school. 

So, not all our predictions were correct, but one thing is for sure: Nobody on this show thought much about game theory. OR, maybe they think more about being perceived as a villain in this age of social media scrutiny? Well, either way, we're onto the new season in just a few short weeks. Will we cover Survivor? Do the people want it? 

Rose Plate Special: Bachelor in Paradise 2025 Season Finale

Believe it or not, we recorded this a couple of days ago, but Sammi is still in recovery mode, getting back into the swing of things after her surgery, so be PATIENT!

If you are curious about the cozy games Sammi talks about, they are available here:


 * Discounty [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2274620/Discounty/]
 * Tiny Bookshop  [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2133760/Tiny_Bookshop/]

Also here's more info on Sean's dad, you can look it up yourself [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_McLaughlin]. We didn't get too much into the ALLEGED scandals. 

Also, support Parisa in her amateur chef journey [https://www.instagram.com/chefpms/?hl=en]! 

Rose Plate Special: Bachelor in Paradise 2025, Episodes 8-9

Sammi (@popculturediner) · Zencastr

Sammi (@popculturediner)

A healthy helping of the culture you crave - From The Bachelor, to Real Housewives, to horror, we cover the things you like to watch.

Pop Culture Diner

The more I talk to people about living dairy-free, the more I find out how many people have decided to eliminate dairy or take on special diets as a way to manage various health conditions. This was what made me start my podcast - a series of ever-evolving conversations with friends, interspersed with deep dives on topics relevant to people who use diet as one way to manage their chronic health conditions.

Dairy-Free State

Sammi's Show

We open the Summer 2024 Jilly Box, a subscription box dedicated to coastal beach vacations, and talk about some Bachelor Nation news. 