In the latest episode of Decoder Ring, host Willa Paskin has launched a full-scale investigation into the Nutbush, a 1970s soul dance that has inexplicably become a national dance craze in Australia. Paskin kicked off the episode by admitting that the song was a total blind spot for her American production team: "none of us here at Decoder Ring had ever even heard of the Nutbush," she said, despite it apparently being a tradition as stereotypically Australian as throwing some shrimp on the barbie.
Before sending producer Max Freedman out to get answers on the dance floor, Paskin had to pause and do some housekeeping. She addressed a wave of listener backlash regarding a previous mailbag episode about the history of the eye roll, admitting that the show got its facts wrong. "A lot of you heard what we had to say about it and, well, you rolled your eyes at us" she said, acknowledging that listeners caught them being incorrect and forcing a formal correction.
This mix of cultural detective work and self-correcting humility is exactly why the show remains a favorite. Paskin's team continues to prove that no piece of trivia—whether a physical gesture or a synchronized wedding dance—is too small for a deep dive, and we can expect more oddball history lessons as their season progresses.