2025 Favorites on The Torg Stories Podcast

Welcome to the Torg Stories Podcast! We’re recording on Sunday, Dec 28, 2025, and on this episode we will cover some of our favorites from the year. We’re also starting a new segment where at the end, we will try a candy from Mast Store in Boone. Today, it will be the Chick-O-Stick. Anne, how did 2025 treat you?

Favorite Sports Moment of the Year: 

• Bill: Haliburton high bounce at MSG to send game to overtime. Gave the Reggie Miller choke sign.  
• Anne: Dodgers Win WS

Lowest Sports Moment of the Year: 

• Bill: Haliburton achilles rupture in the finals. We also had the Daniel Jones injury and the Caitlin Clark two injuries. 
• Anne: Halliburton tears Achilles in final

Favorite Movie released this year: 

• Bill: Sinners. Original idea. Beautifully shot. Funny and scary vampires. Symbolism of the white world trying to appropriate the black music. (One Battle After Another, Weapons) next up. 
• Anne: One Battle After Another

Song of the year: 

• Bill: “Motorcycle Drive By” by Zach Bryan. 
• Anne: No Reply, Tame Impala

Artist of the year: 

• Bill: Ed Sheeran. I did like Sombr’s performance of “12 to 12” on SNL 
• Anne: Bad Bunny

Television Show: 

• Bill: Landman. I watched this year. Interaction between Billy Bob and Kayla Watson the lawyer character. Billy Bob scrapping with the drug cartels on the border. 
• Anne: None

Concert / Live Event: 

• Bill: John Heffron at the Appalachian Theater. Saw Jon Heder from Napoleon Dynamite there too. 
• Anne: Pacers game @Clippers, Hades musical

Place Visited: 

• Bill: Savannah. Architecture + dive bar gritty feel. Incredibly creative environment. Kihei in Maui. 
• Anne: London

Meal Eaten: 

• Bill: Booneshine Nashville Hot Chicken or the Port City Hot Chicken Sandwich at The Rooster and The Crow in Wilmington. 
• Anne: Swiss Butter in London

Favorite New Restaurant to Me 

• Bill: Fizz Ed in Boone. Artsy decor. Philly Steak and Cheese is good. Refurbished Howard Street. 
• Anne: there’s a new Raising Canes in Hollywood, haven’t been yet lol

Trend: 

• Bill: the mass appeal of the WNBA. I landed on Gemini right now as my generative AI platform of choice. Going to Zaxby’s. 
• Anne 

Social Media Account You Follow: 

• Bill: Annie Agar 5 on TikTok. NFL recaps, funny changing jerseys. 1.1 M followers. And @MattHackenbergbasketball. 13.7K followers. 
• Anne: Kit Lazar on TikTok

Favorite SNL Host of the Year: 

• Bill: Ariana Grande, Christmas episode, funniest of the year. Bowen Yang’s last episode. Ariana and Marcello were dance teachers. 
• Anne: Ariana Grande

Fav Book Read of the Year: 

• Bill: The Uncool by Cameron Crowe. Dickens and Prince by Nick Hornby. 
• Anne: The Rose Field, Philip Pullman

Other 2025 News: 

• Luka trade
• Taylor Swift engagement 

RIP in 2025: 

• Aunt Olive 
• Aunt Mary Lois
• Diane Keaton
• Rob Reiner 
• Robert Redford 
• Gene Hackman 
• Val Kilmer 
• Malcolm Jamal Warner 
• Ozzy Osburne 

Thanks for checking out our episode. Happy New Year Everyone!