The Shallow End

In this episode of The Shallow End, human decision-making briefly leaves the building—and gravity takes over.

First, we head to downtown Vancouver, Washington, where a routine disturbance at a restaurant escalates into a full-blown aerial performance. Instead of running from police like a normal person, one man chooses a bold new escape strategy: climbing onto a rooftop communications cable, dangling 20 feet above the street, taunting first responders, and—because why not—removing his shirt mid-sway. For 45 minutes, cops, firefighters, and stunned onlookers watch what can only be described as a bootleg Cirque du Soleil audition, before physics ends the show in the most slapstick way possible.

Then, we travel back to Everett, Washington, for a classic case of criminal ingenuity meeting basic chemistry. Two would-be thieves attempt to break into an ATM using an acetylene blowtorch—successfully cutting their way in, accidentally setting the cash on fire, and then attempting to extinguish the flames using the only tool they apparently planned for: their own urine. Surveillance footage confirms every bad decision.

Along the way, we discuss panic logic, commitment to terrible ideas, firefighters who literally “caught” a suspect, and the many ways stress can unlock brand-new genres of stupidity. Plus, a listener email sparks a discussion about naming the show’s mysterious lifeguard voice.

It’s a reminder that when humans are under pressure, they don’t rise to the occasion—they dangle from cables, pee on burning money, and give first responders stories they’ll be telling forever.

Pour a strong beverage, make better choices than these guys did, and dive into another episode of The Shallow End.

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Episode 192 of The Shallow End delivers three perfectly unhinged true stories that prove human decision-making collapses completely under mild pressure.

First, police in the UK respond to a routine burglary investigation—only to discover their suspect hiding inside a washing machine. Not running. Not mid-cycle. Just vibrating slightly with shame. When officers lift the lid, the man doesn’t flee or panic… he politely waves. Because of course he does.

Then, listener Ben from Springfield, Massachusetts shares his own bizarre brush with human nonsense after arriving at his riverside boathouse to discover his entire dock has vanished. Security footage later reveals two strangers and a dog untying it, floating it upstream, and casually tying it to a tree—apparently deciding the dock needed a change of scenery.

Finally, we head to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where a rejected liquor purchase escalates into an armed robbery using an 1850s derringer, also known as a “muff pistol.” Pajama pants, hoodie, antique firearm, and stolen IDs—because if you’re going to commit a crime, you might as well do it with Civil War flair.

No one is hurt. No high-speed chases. Just grown adults, questionable choices, and appliances that were never meant to be safe houses.

Lesson of the week: appliances are not hiding places, docks are not community property, and blunderbusses do not improve your odds.

You’re in The Shallow End with Schnebly and Toth—where confidence routinely outruns planning.

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In this episode of The Shallow End, we ease into the morning with half-finished coffee, mild grogginess, and a deep philosophical discussion about a very specific human flaw: the irresistible urge to acquire objects we absolutely do not need—and will almost certainly never use.

From abandoned French press coffee makers to unopened hologram fans quietly aging in closets, the boys unpack the strange comfort of possession without follow-through, the sacred importance of keeping boxes “just in case,” and the moment you realize you’ve officially become your parents.

Things take a darker turn with a true crime story from Italy involving pension fraud, family deception, and a high-profile attempt at impersonation that has been dubbed the real-life “Mrs. Doubtfire scheme.” It’s a story that somehow manages to be disturbing, absurd, and baffling all at once—and proves that bureaucracy will eventually notice… even if it takes a while.

Then, a listener email delivers a classic Shallow End cautionary tale involving college logic, expired Mello Yello, gravity, and a car hood that never knew what hit it. It’s a story about impulse, regret, and the long shadow cast by a single bad decision made at the top of a staircase.

Finally, the episode closes with a quintessential Florida Dumb Criminal Story: a man who tried to delay his flight by calling in a bomb threat—using his own phone, his real voice, and airport Wi-Fi. What follows is a quietly perfect example of impatience, overconfidence, and how modern surveillance does not reward shortcuts.

It’s an episode about bad choices, unintended consequences, and the universal belief that maybe—just maybe—we can outsmart the system this one time.

Spoiler: we can’t.

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What happens when you don’t take the win?

This episode of The Shallow End delivers two unforgettable stories about poor decisions, improbable survival, and the fine art of knowing when to walk away.

First, a Texas man is released from jail, handed his belongings, and given the one instruction that matters most: leave. Instead, he realizes something is missing—his confiscated marijuana—and makes the baffling choice to climb back over the jail fence to retrieve it. The result? No weed, more charges, and an instant promotion to the Shallow End Hall of Fame. A perfect lesson in why some exits should never be re-entered .

Then, the episode pivots from modern misjudgment to 19th-century audacity with the astonishing true story of Professor Thaddeus Lowe, a self-taught scientist who accidentally drifted by hot air balloon behind Confederate lines at the dawn of the Civil War. Shot at, nearly arrested, and mistaken for a demonic flying contraption, Lowe somehow talked his way out—then turned the entire ordeal into a meeting with Abraham Lincoln and the creation of America’s first military balloon reconnaissance program .

Along the way, listeners are treated to a jaw-dropping listener story involving gasoline, a bonfire, a Kiss music video, and the Milwaukee River—plus a reminder that eyebrows do, in fact, grow back.

Equal parts absurd, historical, and painfully relatable, this episode explores those fragile moments when the universe says, you’re done here—and what happens when someone ignores it.

Life lessons included. Jail fences should not be climbed. Fire tricks should not be attempted. And when freedom hands you the door… take it.
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Here’s an SEO-optimized episode description for The Shallow End, written to perform well on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts while matching the tone of the episode and the show’s brand:

As 2025 limps toward the finish line, The Shallow End with Schnebly and Toth dives headfirst into a fresh batch of gloriously bad decisions, near-miss disasters, and criminal incompetence you truly have to hear to believe.

The episode opens with a painfully relatable moment of modern panic: losing your phone… while actively talking on it. From there, things escalate quickly with a near-catastrophic kitchen mistake involving a laptop and a microwave (spoiler: MacBooks are not microwave-safe).

But the real headline story comes out of small-town Ohio, where an ordinary bank drive-through transaction turns into one of the dumbest criminal stories of the year. A man accidentally sends methamphetamine through a pneumatic bank tube, triggering a sheriff’s department response, a canine alert, and instant internet infamy. No getaway plan. No criminal mastermind. Just a jaw-dropping lapse in attention that lands him squarely in Shallow End legend.

The episode also features listener-submitted stories, including a Florida man who attempts yard work with a sword and accidentally enters a real-life medieval snake encounter, plus a stunning double-whammy crime story involving COVID relief fraud, a stolen U-Haul van, and a defendant who shows up for federal court already in handcuffs.

If you enjoy true dumb criminal stories, real news absurdity, and laugh-out-loud moments fueled by human error, this episode delivers. It’s a reminder to double-check what’s in your pockets, return your rental vehicles on time, and for the love of all that’s holy—don’t mail illegal drugs to a bank.

The Shallow End is where bad ideas float, good judgment sinks, and the stories are always true.

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