Circle The Block

About Circle The Block

The Appraise The Phrase Show’s spinoff, Circle The Block, takes the focus from the history of common phrases to the power of nostalgia one memory-triggering clip at a time. Join Rello and Cunda as they bring the most iconic moments in film, tv, sports, music, pop culture, and how they compare to current events of today. From the funniest sitcom moments to unforgettable sports moments to hilarious Super Bowl commercials to thinking back to when we used to play outside until the street lights came on, Circle The Block is here to give you fun facts about all of the moments that bring a smile to your face. If you've ever said "back in my day" then this show is for you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Underdog Podcasts

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

13 Jan 2025

Latest episode

15 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

53 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 Oct 2026

   Madonna’s VMA Kiss & the Night Prince Lost It on Michael

   On August 28, 2003, Madonna opened the MTV Video Music Awards dressed as a groom, with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera as her brides and kissed them both on live television. The clip ran on front pages usually reserved for political news, got replayed relentlessly on MTV, and became one of the most downloaded moments of the early internet, years before social media existed. On this episode of Circle The Block, hosts Rello and Cunda use that night as the entry point into a bigger idea: the passing of the torch, and whether anybody recognizes it while it's happening. The crew breaks down what the VMA moment actually was underneath the shock value; Madonna two decades into pushing boundaries, Britney and Christina both shedding the teen-idol image at the same time, and a staged wedding that doubled as an anointing. They get into why MTV panned to Justin Timberlake instead of staying on the action, how taboo it felt in 2003 versus how ordinary it would read now, and why hosts make or break these nights (respect paid to Chris Rock, Jamie Foxx and Kevin Hart). Then they circle back to 1983 and a moment far fewer people have actually seen: the only night James Brown, Michael Jackson and Prince shared a stage, at the Beverly Theater in Los Angeles. Brown pulled Michael out of the audience. Michael whispered to Brown to call Prince up too. What happened next has become legend: Prince arriving on his bodyguard's back, a shaky guitar solo, the shirt coming off, and the stage-prop lamppost that didn't survive. Plus the Quincy Jones story about what an embarrassed Prince allegedly planned to do in the parking lot afterward. The hosts dig into the real split that night represented: Michael inheriting James Brown's precision and showmanship while Prince took the raw, multi-instrumental side of the same legacy and the decade-long rivalry that followed. Plus an honest take on who Prince really was in the early '80s, why Purple Rain might be less acting than people think, and the era when Black music let only one person win at a time. As always, the crew runs their odds on UFC 333 before Bishop Cunda takes the pulpit with a message about recognizing what you're looking at while it's still in front of you. New episodes of Circle The Block drop every week: hit subscribe and turn on notifications. 00:00 – "Anybody kisses Madonna creates some hype" 00:40 – Intro with the crew 01:53 – A bad day: the Cowboys lose to a backup QB at home 03:22 – Why AT&T Stadium is the NFL's Madison Square Garden 05:08 – Award show moments that make you say "what did I just watch" 05:28 – Circling the block on Madonna's 2003 VMA double kiss 06:11 – How much twenty years changes what's taboo 06:42 – Chris Rock hosting & why the host makes the show 07:09 – Great award show hosts: Kevin Hart, DruSki, Jamie Foxx 10:20 – Front page news: bigger than politics that week 11:19 – Why the camera cut to Justin Timberlake 12:17 – Madonna's two decades of boundary-pushing by 2003 12:40 – The groom, the brides & the staged wedding 13:42 – Who else but Madonna could have pulled it off 15:48 – Watching it live at 16, with mom on the couch 16:43 – Odds: UFC 333 (Yan vs. Dvalishvili) 17:36 – Back from break: other passing-the-torch moments 18:16 – Circling the block on James Brown, Michael Jackson & Prince, 1983 19:17 – Prince arriving on his bodyguard's back 19:46 – How the night actually unfolded at the Beverly Theater 21:00 – Michael calling Prince up to the stage 22:20 – Why Prince treated Michael like the opposition 22:43 – When Black music only allowed one winner 23:00 – The guitar solo, the shirt & the lamppost 24:01 – The Quincy Jones parking lot story 24:34 – Purple Rain, Graffiti Bridge & how much was really acting 25:48 – Prince could actually hoop 26:30 – The split: Michael got the precision, Prince got the raw 29:29 – The bridge between eras 29:58 – Odds: UFC 333 (Volkanovski vs. Evloev) 30:46 – Bishop Cunda takes the pulpit 31:30 – Recognize what you're looking at 33:13 – Last words & Steelers Nation condolences 35:11 – NBA preseason: the Sixers, Dame, Ja Morant 36:30 – Outro Circle The Block is a culture and nostalgia podcast hosted by Rello and Cunda, where hip hop history, throwback pop culture, sports, gaming, and current entertainment news collide. New episodes weekly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   8 Oct 2026

   1999 Proved Backup QBs Can Win Rings. Is 2026 Next?

   In 1999, Trent Green went down in the preseason and the sports world wrote off the St. Louis Rams. Coach Vermeil stood at a podium in tears and told the media they would rally around Kurt Warner and play good football. Six months later, Warner was a Super Bowl champion and the NFL MVP. On this episode of Circle The Block, hosts Rello and Cunda use that moment as the lens for what's happening across the league right now; a season where backup quarterbacks are suddenly running half the NFC. The crew breaks down who Kurt Warner actually was when he took over: a 28-year-old undrafted backup out of the Arena Football League who famously stocked groceries at a Hy-Vee supermarket, with zero regular-season starting experience. They get into how his arena background was secretly perfect for Mike Martz's quick-release system, how the supporting cast of Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce and Ricky Proehl turned into the Greatest Show on Turf, and the 2021 biopic American Underdog (with Dennis Quaid as Vermeil) that one host somehow missed entirely. From there it becomes a full backup quarterback roll call: Tom Brady stepping in for Drew Bledsoe, Nick Foles winning a ring after Carson Wentz went down, Brett Favre in Atlanta, Randall Cunningham in Minnesota, Tony Romo coming off the bench, Matt Cassel and Jimmy Garoppolo turning fill-in years into contracts, Trent Dilfer riding a historic defense, and a deep run through the Steelers' own bench history: Charlie Batch, Byron Leftwich, Dennis Dixon, Tommy Maddox, Mike Vick and Mason Rudolph. Then they bring it to right now. Jackson Dart's season-ending knee injury and Jameis Winston's audition going sideways. The J.J. McCarthy trade. Jayden Daniels going down again and Marcus Mariota taking over in Washington. Caleb Williams' injury in Chicago and Case Keenum beating the Eagles anyway, which raises the real question of the episode: how much of this is the quarterback, and how much is the coaching? Plus Mike Tomlin's "next man up" philosophy and the fine line between a Pro Bowler and a backup, an Any Given Sunday detour into Willie Beamen, and an honest look at why talent evaluation in the NFL is still an imperfect science. As always, the crew runs theirl odds; NFC West and NFC North futures before Bishop Cunda takes the pulpit with a message about haters and seizing your opportunity when it finally comes. New episodes of Circle The Block drop every week; hit subscribe and turn on notifications. 00:00 – Cold open: "We will rally around Kurt Warner" 00:41 – Intro with the crew 01:08 – Don't take yourself too seriously 02:10 – Pittsburgh's in an uproar (and why haters don't get airtime) 03:17 – Daddy mode: the daughter competition 05:40 – Circling the block on the 1999 Trent Green injury 06:25 – The Rodney Harrison hit everybody remembers 07:10 – Coach Vermeil's press conference and the promise he made 07:40 – Who Kurt Warner was: arena ball and stocking shelves 08:45 – American Underdog: the Kurt Warner biopic 11:06 – Backup QB roll call: Brady, Foles, Favre, Cunningham 13:12 – The Steelers bench: Batch, Leftwich, Dixon, Maddox, Rudolph 14:30 – Matt Cassel, Jimmy G & the backup-to-contract pipeline 15:00 – Tomlin: the fine line between a Pro Bowler and a backup 15:39 – How the Greatest Show on Turf was actually built 17:00 – Odds: NFC West futures 19:49 – Back from break 22:15 – Jameis Winston's audition goes sideways 24:43 – The J.J. McCarthy trade & Jayden Daniels going down 25:10 – Marcus Mariota takes over in Washington 25:41 – Circling the block on Caleb Williams' injury 28:41 – Why the league defaults to panic mode 31:01 – Inside the locker room: jobs on the line 33:19 – Next man up & the Willie Beamen principle 35:47 – Odds: NFC North futures 38:58 – Back from break 39:08 – Bishop Cunda takes the pulpit 40:19 – Six months from stocking shelves to MVP 41:23 – Last words: shoot your shot 43:14 – Outro Circle The Block is a culture and nostalgia podcast hosted by Rello The Saya and Cunda, where hip hop history, throwback pop culture, sports, gaming, and current entertainment news collide. New episodes weekly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   1 Oct 2026

   Marvel's Wolverine Is Here. Logan's Been Here Since 1974

   Marvel's Wolverine just dropped on PS5. Rello & Cunda trace Logan from Hulk #181 in 1974 to the arcade, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, and now. Marvel's Wolverine landed exclusively on PlayStation 5 on September 15, 2026 and on this episode of Circle The Block, hosts Rello The Saya and Cunda use the biggest game drop of the year as a doorway into the full history of one of the greatest comic book characters ever created. The crew starts where most '80s babies started: the 1992 X-Men animated series — that theme song, Cyclops as the actual front-runner, and the Jean Grey / Cyclops / Wolverine love triangle that taught a generation of kids what a love triangle even was. From there they go back further, into the character's real origins: created by Roy Thomas, Len Wein, and John Romita Sr., first appearing in The Incredible Hulk #181 in 1974 before joining the team in Giant-Size X-Men #1 in 1975 meaning the X-Men existed as a team before Logan ever walked in and took over. They dig into the parts of the mythology casual fans miss: that Wolverine was born in the 1800s and is pushing 215 years old, that he served across World War I, World War II, and Vietnam, that his claws were bone before they were adamantium, and the brutal origin moment; a sickly boy who discovered his powers by killing the man who murdered his father, only to learn he'd just killed his actual father, and took the name Logan because of it. The back half is a full Wolverine gaming retrospective: the 1992 Konami X-Men arcade cabinet (a six-player machine and one of the top five highest-grossing arcade games in the U.S. that year — where fans still argue Storm and Dazzler were strongest and Cyclops was the weakest), its 2010 HD port and 2013 delisting, the 2021 Arcade1Up home cabinet, and the game that owns a permanent place in Rello's heart: X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), the game that introduced tag-team combat and still draws tournament play today. Then the headliner itself — the new Insomniac-developed Wolverine, its linear campaign spanning Canada, Japan, and the mutant haven Madripoor, Liam McIntyre (Spartacus) on voice and performance capture, and Sabretooth and Omega Red showing up as major antagonists. Plus a genuine DC-vs-Marvel debate between two hosts on opposite sides of that fence, Halloween costume confessions, and Storm appreciation that gets slightly out of hand. As always, the crew runs their odds: Big 12 and ACC championship futures before Bishop Cunda closes with a sermon on the misconceptions people hold about gamers, and the head coach who's been building a Minecraft world for sixteen years. 00:00 – Cold open & intro with the crew 01:21 – How everybody's feeling & running into childhood homies 03:13 – Like, share, subscribe... and where's Angie? 04:10 – Marvel's Wolverine just dropped 04:28 – The hype was real: early gameplay reactions 05:26 – Earliest Wolverine memories: the cartoon & the action figures 05:49 – That X-Men animated series theme song 06:23 – Wait, Cyclops was actually the front-runner? 07:12 – The love triangle that taught us all about love triangles 08:26 – Storm appreciation (and a brief Halle Berry detour) 09:57 – Wolverine's real origins: Roy Thomas, Len Wein & John Romita Sr. 10:35 – Who added the retractable claws 11:10 – Incredible Hulk #181 (1974) & Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975) 12:05 – The X-Men existed before Wolverine walked in 13:03 – The 1992 animated series creators & visual style 13:52 – DC all day vs. Marvel neutral: the household divide 15:00 – Halloween costume confessions 16:01 – Born in the 1800s: the wars Logan fought in 18:35 – Action figures, imagination & bringing toys to school 19:26 – Which Wolverine power would you take? 19:34 – Bone claws before adamantium 20:22 – The traumatic origin: how his powers first surfaced 21:46 – The father he didn't know he killed & how he became Logan 22:57 – Circling the block on the 1992 X-Men animated series 23:41 – Why the cartoon was really a drama 24:15 – Big 12 championship futures 25:50 – Back from break: Wolverine in video games 26:58 – The 1992 Konami X-Men arcade cabinet 27:29 – Six players, one machine, top five grossing arcade game of 1992 28:00 – Storm & Dazzler strongest, Cyclops weakest: fight us 29:05 – The 2010 HD port, the 2013 delisting & the 2021 Arcade1Up cabinet 31:29 – X-Men vs. Street Fighter enters the chat 33:28 – The 1996 Christmas that made the game legendary 35:02 – How it became Marvel vs. Capcom 35:32 – Wolverine & Ryu: the unbeatable team 36:11 – They still hold tournaments for these games today 37:07 – Circling the block on the 1992 arcade graphics 37:50 – "It can't get better than this" — 16-bit mindset 38:39 – Circling the block on the new Wolverine game 39:06 – PS5 exclusive, September 15, 2026: Canada, Japan & Madripoor 40:22 – Omega Red and Sabretooth show up 41:01 – Why gaming was never a fad 41:52 – ACC championship futures 43:35 – Bishop Cunda's closing sermon: the misconceptions about gamers 44:46 – Mike Tomlin's sixteen-year Minecraft world 46:33 – Last words Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

4.8 / 5

351 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 22 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

44

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

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Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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