1 week Ago By Luna Stephens Omaha World-Herald
When comedian Dan Soder and sports media personality Katie Nolan got stuck in Big Springs, Nebraska, during a snowstorm, they decided to record a podcast episode covering everything from the Pony Express to whether Scooter’s Coffee is overhyped. While the episode was released earlier this week, Soder and Nolan recorded it on Dec. 26, 2023 when a winter storm closed I-80 and Highway 30 from the Wyoming border to Lexington, Nebraska.
The “Trapped in Nebraska” episode was a departure from the “Soder” podcast’s typical content, which consists of conversations with comedians and dialogue on pop culture topics. Soder, who lives in New York but grew up in Aurora, Colorado, also plays Mafee in the Showtime series “Billions.” Nolan, known for roles at Fox Sports and Apple TV+’s “Friday Night Baseball,” announced her engagement to Soder in 2022.
She has made a few appearances on the podcast in the past. On the episode, which includes some adult language, Soder and Nolan explain that they had driven from New York City to Denver for Christmas and were on their way back east when the storm hit. That left them stranded in Big Springs, a town of around 400 located about 8 miles from the Colorado border.
Because the town’s Motel 6 was already full, they were stuck in their car in the parking lot along with their dog Myrtle. An animated intro to the episode shows Soder and Nolan recording the podcast in a snow-covered car while Myrtle watches from the backseat. The intro also pans to show other people hunkered down in their own cars around them and at least one person questioning why the couple was talking into microphones in their car.
Soder said it was 27 degrees when they were recording at 4:45 p.m. and he worried it would only get colder.
“This sucks, but we’re fine,” Soder reasoned. Nolan describes deep diving on the Nebraska Department of Transportation’s website trying to figure out if there was a way to get around the closure, but concluding they were pretty much stuck. The couple contemplate sleeping in the car during the episode, but it ends without listeners learning their fate.
However, since the podcast was recorded nearly a year ago, it’s safe to say they eventually made it out. A part 2 to the episode is expected to be released in mid-December. As far as describing their thoughts on the Cornhusker state, Nolan noted it was “pretty flat” and didn’t smell great, which she assumed might have to do with the cattle population.
“I think cows outnumber humans in Nebraska, so that means probably a lot of emissions,” she said. Nolan also had a not-so-rave review of their stop at a Scooter’s in Kearney. She said she was expecting it to be really good because of the drive-thru line, but was disappointed when her waffle breakfast sandwich fell apart.
“Scooter’s Coffee, we’re not really that into you,” Nolan said, though she softened the blow by adding they may have caught the Omaha-based coffee chain on an off day. “You’ve been telling yourself it’s good and it’s not,” Soder added to Nolan’s Scooter’s review, clarifying that “this might seem like an all-out declaration of war on Nebraska. It’s not.
” As far as her gripes about Nebraska, Nolan said it was only fair, as the state wasn’t exactly playing nice either. “I know this feels like we’re Nebraska-phobes,” Soder added. “But a lot of the weird (stuff) did happen in Nebraska.
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