This Is Your Brain on TV is the podcast for serious people who love unserious television. Each week, hosts Taija Mars McDougall, a professor, and Jake Flanagin, an attorney and writer, discuss some of the most-talked about (and at other times obscure) reality TV shows on the airwaves — from housewives to hot dummies on an island. Think of them as the Jane Goodall and Margaret Mead of the trash content ecosystem, always thinking about the ways these ridiculous shows teach us about real-world social issues, subcultures, politics, economics, philosophy, religion, even ourselves! Lowbrow might be higher than you think.
Instagram: @urbrainontv (https://www.instagram.com/notaboveitpod)
Email: urbtainontv@gmail.com (mailto:notaboveitpodcast@gmail.com)
The Chelsea Handler Effect: The Real Housewives of Vancouver S1 E3
Hosts Jake and Taija analyze the "Chelsea Handler woman" archetype in *The Real Housewives of Vancouver*, exploring themes of side hustles, Canadian drinking culture, and questionable beauty treatments.
9 Jun 2025
Suspiciously South African: The Real Housewives of Vancouver S1 E2
Taija and Jake analyze the second episode of The Real Housewives of Vancouver, dissecting concern trolling and the unique dynamics of Canadian mother's guilt.
3 May 2025
Alleged Canadianness: The Real Housewives of Vancouver S1 E1
We're back! Not Above It! returns to the birthplace of one of its illustrious hosts, the Great White North, the would-be 51st State, the People's Republic of Degrassitopia, a.k.a., Canada. In Season 2, Tasia and Jake are covering the short-lived but legendary exportation of Bravo's Housewives formula, The Real Housewives of Vancouver. In this episode, they get into what it means to be famous in Canada, Vancouver's special brand of income inequality, the anthropology of Anglosphere accents, and the myth of "Canadian nice."
18 Feb 2025
The Mary Cosby Capacity: RHOSLC S5 Reunion Omnibus
In this final episode of the first season of Not Above It!, Jake and Taija cover all three episodes of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 5 reunion special. Topics include the many age-regressive defense mechanisms of Lisa Barlow; the paternal menace of Todd; a recap of Heather Gay's fall from grace, momentary recovery, and immediate fall from grace again; the season-defining alluring strangeness of Mary Cosby; and Angie K.'s ascendant character arc.
23 Jan 2025
Baby Gorgeous, Baby Nervous System: RHOSLC S5 E16
Jake and Taija cover the Season 5 Finale of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City in this episode of Not Above It! Topics of conversation include Lisa Barlow's emotional Peter Pan syndrome, the refreshing earnestness of Mary and Angie K.'s friendship, Meredith's neverending quest fo a memeable screengrab, and the conspiratorial menace of Heather C-I-Gay, producer-at-large. Also, a bite-sized review of Good Time Girl, otherwise known as The Year Obsessive Thinking (About Monica Garcia).
16 Jan 2025
Meet the Metawives: RHOSLC S5 E15
On this week's episode of Not Above It!, Jake and Taija cover Season 5, Episode 15 of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, and finally crack the code of what makes Salt Lake such a singular work of reality-TV art. Also: The brimming intellect of Heather Gay, Britani's strategy-by-chaos, an emerging theory of Bronwyn's duplicitousness, and the subtle genius of a Lisa Barlow tantrum.
8 Jan 2025
Puerto Vallalkyries: RHOSLC S5 E13 & E14
In this omnibus episode of Not Above It!, Taija and Jake cover episodes 13 and 14 of Season 5 of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City: The Muppets take Puerto Vallarta! Malinwoski's Kula ring comes to Bravo, all the world's a stage (and a confessional box) for Britani, Lisa and Meredith are psychoanalyzed for filth, and Heather Gay has her Newtonian apple tree moment.
10 Dec 2024
High Body Count, High Art: RHOSLC S5 E12
On this week's episode of Not Above It!, Jake and Taija review Season 5, Episode 12 of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, perhaps one of the best episodes since Mary Cosby first smelled hospital. They cover the permissive weirdness of Mary Cosby, Bronwyn's confusing rapid-onset prudishness, Angie and Britani's Hawthornean contest of chastity, and Lisa Barlow's joyful discordianism. Also, do we stand on the precipice of a Bronwyn Newport villain arc?
3 Dec 2024
A Cloud of Obscenities: RHOSLC S5 E11
This week's episode of Not Above It! has the three H's: Hunter Biden, herpetophobia, and Heather Gay's new book. Also, Taija and Jake dig into the waning manipulative power of Meredith Marks, the women's class solidarity against Monica, burgeois rec-room art, Bronwyn's vulgarian tendencies, and the great Cosby Restoration.
26 Nov 2024
From the Letters of St. Jared to Mary Cosby: RHOSLC S5 E10
Happy Thanksgiving, dear Not Above Iters! Not Above Itistas? Not Above Iteers. Merch coming... never. On this week's episode of the pod, Jake and Taija cover Season 5, Episode 10 of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. your favorite reality-TV philosophers discuss the affective science behind Angie K.'s maternal baggage, the curious quiescence of Whitney Rose, Bronwyn's Lady Macbeth arc, Mary Cosby's shocking epistolary romance with Jard Osmond, and the many failed connivances of Heather Gay.
20 Nov 2024
The Real Sadomasochists of Bravo: RHOSLC S5 E9
Jake and Taija recap Season 5, Episode 9 of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, answering questions absolutely no one has asked, e.g., is Lisa Barlow the second coming of the Marquis de Sade? (Probably not.) Also: Meredith and Seth's cyclical marital woes, the art of motherly deflection, Bronwyn's shade-throwing pièce de résistance, and the linguistics of being rrrrrrrrich, honey.
12 Nov 2024
Whither the AAVE in SLC: RHOSLC S5 E8
In this episode of Not Above It!, Jake and Taija cover Season 5, Episode 8 of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City — a poolside perturbance in Palm Springs! Topics include Lisa Barlow's psycho-emotional failure to launch, the paternalistic force of Todd, Angie K.'s physical-comedy genius (and hairdressser's intuition), white Housewives taking liberties with Black vernacular, and Heather Gay's neverending search for meaning in frenemies.
5 Nov 2024
Frailty, Thy Name Is Heather Gay: RHOSLC S5 E7
Escape from reality with more "reality" this Election Day, 2024! On this week's episode of Not Above It!, Taija and Jake cover The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 5, Episode 7. Topics of discussion include strategic deployment of the husband defense, a horseshoe theory of Mary Cosby's weirdness, the Newports' dynastic anxiety, the unexorcised spectre of Jen Shah, and Heather Gay's stank-faced flight response.
29 Oct 2024
Lisa Barlow's Subpoena Power: RHOSLC S5 E6
In this episode of Not Above It! Jake and Taija cover Season 5, Episode 6 of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Bravo goes to London! La Cosa Nostra comes to Utah! We delve into obliterating power of the bullsh*t apology, Lisa Barlow's fantasy cybersecurity team, the pure libidinal language of Mary Cosby, the dormant wrath of Heather Gay, and how homoerotic threats of violence might just be the straightest thing ever.
22 Oct 2024
The Bourgeois Familial Psychodrama Strikes Back: RHOSLC S5 E5
On this week's episode of Not Above It!, strategic psychiatric diagnoses have entered the chat! Also, Taija and Jake discuss the major-league sportsification of Bravo, the glorious return of the family psychodrama, Housewives as the gothic horror revival we've all been waiting for, and a demonological taxonomy of the "where my hug at?" guy. Come into our metaphorical (medically dubious) salt cave!
15 Oct 2024
Mephistopheles Says Ouch: RHOSLC S5 E4
On this week's episode Jake and Taija discuss Season 5, Episode 4 of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City: Mary Cosby as the Shakespearean fool archetype, the tactical vocabulary of Meredith Marks, and Lisa Barlow's narrative anxiety. And for dessert, a historian's defense of being a gold-digging hussie!
8 Oct 2024
Whitney Rose, the Kantian Ideal: RHOSLC S5 E3
On this jumbo-sized episode of Not Above It! Jake is joined by cultural theorist and historian of consciousness Taija Mars McDougall. Together they cover Season 5, Episode 3 of Bravo's The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City — working toward a reality TV theory of interpassivity, examining Mary Cosby's shocking (charming?) Jeffrey Dahmer connection, and wading knee-deep in the apologetics of Lisa Barlow's cafeteria Mormonism. Also: Whitney Rose, the Kantian ideal? Or is there such a thing as toxic authenticity? Whither Heather Gay's god-shaped hole? And hath Brownyn Newport wrought the Housewives apocalypse!? All this and more!!!
Podcast Authority Score: 13 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
26
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
0
Contact Not Above It!
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Not Above It!?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
