Bizarre States, hosted by The Nerdist’s Jessica Chobot and Andrew Bowser, presents a delightfully down to earth podcast that encompasses, well, everything bizarre. Bizarre States covers everything from the paranormal, ancient and modern day murder mysteries, aliens, and simply the strange things that people do in everyday life.
Bizarre States showcased their growing audience at their SDCC panel which was located in Ballroom 6AB this year, unlike previous years where they were located off-site. In the panel, Chobot and Bowser shared that week’s dose of weird in their segment “Weird of the Week,” and Bowser treated the panel to a hilarious and mildly insane Bowser’s Backyard, which left Chobot, and the audience, rolling.
Half of the fun of the panel was watching Chobot and Bowser tease one another and interject throughout each of their stories to provide relatable moments amidst odd happenings throughout the world.
Chobot then segued into the main story about an early 20th-century model/actress Evelyn Nesbit and how her husband eventually wound up killing her childhood abuser. Chobot and Bowser expressed their appropriate disgust and horror at some of the details of the story. Half of the fun of the panel was being able to participate with Bowser and Chobot, as well as giving fans a chance to share their bizarre stories.
Other than being hilarious, the panel highlighted Chobot and Bowser’s genuine interest in not only the bizarre and the weird but in their fans and stories as well. Though the panel was only Chobot and Bowser, it added a more intimate quality for the audience, and at some point, it felt more like participating in conversation than watching one happen.
The panel ended with a slew of people sharing their spooky stories and they gifted the audience with an awesome fan-drawn postcard that Bowser and Chobot printed out.
Bizarre States is worth the listen, so check out their podcast on iTunes and if there is an opportunity to see them live, it’s even better!
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