Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Armchair Anonymous: Holiday Nightmare III

December 19, 2025

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  • The episode, part of the 'Armchair Anonymous: Holiday Nightmare III' series on 'Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard', features listener-submitted stories detailing chaotic and disastrous holiday experiences. 
  • One listener's Texas holiday nightmare involved an uncle attempting to humanely pepper spray a stray dog, which backfired, causing the entire family to evacuate the house due to the spray's effects. 
  • Another listener shared a Christmas Day nightmare involving being violently ejected from a car during intimacy, resulting in a severely twisted ankle, which was then compounded by the entire family contracting COVID-19 shortly after. 

Segments

Armchair Anonymous Introduction
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(00:00:14)
  • Key Takeaway: The episode ‘Armchair Anonymous: Holiday Nightmare III’ is the final new episode of the year for the ‘Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard’ podcast.
  • Summary: The episode opens by welcoming listeners to ‘Armchair Anonymous’ and immediately identifies the content as ‘Holiday Nightmare Part 3.’ The hosts note this is their last new episode for the year, encouraging listeners to enjoy the holiday spirit.
Sponsor Read: Audible
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(00:01:10)
  • Key Takeaway: Audible’s ‘Best of 2025’ collection features hand-picked, must-listen audio content curated by editors, including hidden gems alongside buzzy releases.
  • Summary: The sponsor segment promotes Audible’s year-end collection, highlighting that editors debate extensively to select the best audio content. Listeners can find selections catering to various genres, such as true crime and historical biographies.
Sponsor Read: T-Mobile
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(00:02:17)
  • Key Takeaway: T-Mobile for Business offers ‘Connected Workplace,’ a fully managed business internet solution covering configuration, equipment, and performance monitoring.
  • Summary: The Connected Workplace service aims to simplify business networking with a single, cost-effective solution for multi-location support. This service leverages America’s most advanced 5G network to accelerate business growth.
Listener Story: Pepper Spray Incident
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(00:03:08)
  • Key Takeaway: A Christmas gathering in Plano, Texas, devolved into chaos when an uncle attempting to pepper spray a stray dog accidentally sprayed the entire family, forcing an evacuation.
  • Summary: The caller, Bella, recounts a Christmas Day incident where an uncle tried to spray pepper spray above a dog, but the wind blew it back into the house, causing severe irritation for all guests, including pregnant cousins and elderly relatives. The dog remained inside, unaffected, until lured out later.
Listener Story: Car Ejection Injury
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(00:19:49)
  • Key Takeaway: A 19-year-old listener was violently thrown from a car seat onto the emergency brake while engaging in sexual activity, resulting in a severe ankle injury that required crutches.
  • Summary: While drinking and learning spades at her new boyfriend’s conservative family’s Christmas party, the caller was pushed off during intimacy, trapping her ankle under the emergency brake. The boyfriend fled briefly, and the injury was revealed to the whole family by his uncle, who then carried her inside.
Listener Story: COVID Christmas
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(00:34:49)
  • Key Takeaway: A family’s baby’s first holiday trip to Maryland resulted in a car accident on Christmas Eve, followed by the baby testing positive for COVID-19 on Christmas morning.
  • Summary: The caller, Aaron, detailed being rear-ended on Christmas Eve while driving to meet in-laws, leading to a minor trunk dent. The next day, their four-month-old developed a 104-degree fever and tested positive for COVID-19 after a deep nasal swab, leading to a quarantined Christmas celebration.
Follow-up: Rental Car Deer Hit
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(00:40:10)
  • Key Takeaway: After the initial Christmas accident, the caller incurred an additional $500 fee for damaging the rental car he was using while his primary vehicle was being repaired.
  • Summary: A month after the first incident, while driving the rental car, the caller hit a deer, causing a dent and leaving blood on the passenger door. This final event prompted the caller to jokingly state he would never celebrate Christmas again due to the string of misfortunes.
Outro and Final Sponsor
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(00:43:16)
  • Key Takeaway: The episode concludes by wishing listeners happy holidays and promoting the ‘Tis the Grinch Holiday Podcast’ and Wondry Plus subscription options.
  • Summary: The hosts wrap up the ‘Armchair Anonymous: Holiday Nightmare III’ segment, advising listeners to keep their pepper spray stowed for future holidays. They then promote a holiday-themed podcast featuring James Austin Johnson and remind listeners how to access ad-free content via Wondry+.