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If you want to drink good bourbon whiskey, you’re going to have to shell out anywhere from $30 to $60. You might get lucky and find a hidden gem for around $20 but that’s the exception, not the rule. Then there’s the genuinely expensive stuff that starts off around $100 and reaches into the thousands of dollars, either by virtue of it being a very rare whiskey or the aftermarket dictating a hefty price inflation.

But is the expensive stuff really that much better than the (relatively) cheap bourbon these days? How much better can it honestly be? That’s where a blind taste test comes into play.

For this exercise, I’ve grabbed five bottles that fall into the $25 to $60 range (with one beloved budget bottle thrown in) and five bottles that start off above $100 and soar ever higher in price. The ranking is simple, what tastes best when sipped blind? Spoiler alert: It was a far more mixed bag than even I thought it would be.

Our lineup today is:

• Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition Blend no. 012 Tennessee Whiskey
• Heaven Hill Old Style Bourbon 6 Years Old
• Maker’s Mark
• Michter’s Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 10 Years Old
• Puncher’s Chance The D12TANCE Aged 12 Years
• Legent
• Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Single Barrel
• Weller 12
• Knob Creek Small Batch Aged 9 Years
• Eagle Rare 17 Years Old 2021 BTAC

Okay, let’s dive in and see if you really need to spend a mortgage payment on a bottle of whiskey.

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months

• We Blind Tasted A Whole Bunch Of $30-60 Bourbons To See If Any Could Beat Weller
• We Put A Whole Bunch Of Bourbons To A Giant Blind Test And Discovered Some Absolute Gems
• We Blind Tasted Classic Bourbons And Were Shocked By The Winner
• The Best-Known Basic Bottles Of Bourbon, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• All The Double Gold-Winning Straight Bourbons From This Year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

There’s a lovely sense of sourdough old-fashioned doughnuts dusted in cinnamon on the nose with a hint of brown sugar, nutmeg, pecan, and cedar/tobacco with a warm edge. The palate layers those pecans into a waffle with plenty of butter and maple syrup next to dried sour cherries with old leather, dried corn cobs, and spiced cherry tobacco next to dry black dirt with a hint of sweetness to it. The end lessens the cherry and leads to peppery tobacco with a warm finish full of dry firewood, more of that woody maple syrup, and a dash of vanilla cream underneath it.

Well, this is a great whiskey. I can’t fathom it being too cheap.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

Light wicker and a hint of dried mint lead the way on the nose with a touch of brown sugar and orchard fruit and bark. The palate lets that orchard wood sweeten as a hint of espresso bean cuts the woodiness and allows lush vanilla to arrive with a hint of pancake batter. The end rounds back to the wicker with a twinge of cherry cream soda next to a thin line of mineral water.

This was really solid up until the watery finish. I’d bet it’s affordable, generally speaking.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

The nose is soft with a sense of sour cherry, porch wicker, dry cornmeal, caramel sauce, and a supple vanilla foundation. The palate holds onto those notes and builds toward salted caramel over tart apples with a winter spice mix stewing it all down into a buttery and spicy apple crumble with a hint of plum and date. The end gets a little mineral-y and eventually waters down the rich spices, vanilla, orchard fruit, and old wicker.

This was so close but just missed sticking the landing on that watered-down finish.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

The nose draws you in with big notes of fresh leather, sweet cedar bark, tart cherries and currant, burnt orange, salted caramel, spiced Christmas cake, and a hint of blackberry jam on a stack of sourdough pancakes grilled off in butter (or maybe I’m just hungry for breakfast?!). The taste leans into a lush vanilla tobacco warm with dark chocolate-covered espresso beans next to marzipan, orange blossoms, and brandy-soaked cherries with a hint of black pepper spice. The finish is velvety and supple with a black cherry and cinnamon/nutmeg spiced tobacco leaf braided with old wicker canes and dry cedar bark next to orchard wood and burnt marshmallows.

Well, this is a winner. This is basically a perfect bourbon with incredible depth. It must be pricey.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Hello, Tennessee! The nose opens with a sense of cherry Tums next to soft grains, dried sage and thyme, and a hint of smoked pork fat. The taste leans into that Tennessee whiskey vibe with soft grains next to vanilla Necco Wafers, old cellar floors, and a good dose of sharp winter spices. The finish lets the cherry chine with a hint of old glove leather, apple pie filling, and a sour sense of butter with a garden center earthiness.

I really like this. It’s not overly done but hits some seriously nice notes that vibe.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Sticky toffee pudding with a hint of sour grapes, sweet red berries, old oak staves, vanilla husks, and salted toffee all mingle on the nose. The palate has almost bitter cinnamon and cherry bark vibe that smooths out toward creamy nutmeg-heavy eggnog with a hint of clove next to dried cedar bark and raisins. The end mixes wild berry jam with a sense of buttermilk biscuits, brown butter, sultanas, dates, and winter cake spices as old wine-soaked oak staves add a gentle woodiness to the finish.

This is delightful. It’s a tiny bit thin on the finish (I’m guessing around 90 proof?) but that’s barely a diss.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

The nose brings the vanilla pods, cinnamon/clove/anise/allspice winter spice matrix, a hint of fresh cedar kindling, and a menagerie of raisins, dates, prunes, dried cranberry with a whisper of worn leather tobacco pouches. The palate leans into the dark and tart berries with a dry edge that then leads to an old boot leather vibe next to lush marzipan touched with orange blossom and dark chocolate creaminess. The finish gently warms your sense with a nutty chocolate/spicy/dried fruit tobacco leaf rolled with old wicker, cedar bark, and sweetgrass.

I wrote, “perfect” in my notes. So you can guess where this is going to land. That doesn’t necessarily mean this is an expensive whiskey though. Time will tell.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Peach and pear skins lead to pancake batter, marzipan, orange oils, old leather gloves, a hint of wool sweater on a cold day, and a whisper of old porch wicker. The palate balances cherry wood that’s just been lit next to tart dried cranberry, a touch of buttermilk biscuit, and salted toffee. The end amps up the woody Christmas spices and barks with more orange next to pound cake, hot apple cider, and a creamy line of dark chocolate over lush marzipan.

This is another winner that just tastes great. The end is a little thin (I’m guessing this is another 90-proof) but, overall, this was excellent.

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

The nose on this feels classic with a bold sense of rich vanilla pods, cinnamon sharpness, buttered and salted popcorn, and a good dose of cherry syrup with a hint of cotton candy. The palate mixes almond, orange, and vanilla into a cinnamon sticky bun with a hint of sour cherry soda that leads to a nice Kentucky hug on the mid-palate. That warm hug fades toward black cherry root beer, old leather boots, porch wicker, and a sense of dried cherry/cinnamon tobacco packed into an old pine box.

This was pretty freakin’ good. More importantly, it was nicely balanced between the (marginally) higher proof and flavor profile.

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

Woah. There’s a lot going on with this nose from dark and moist Christmas cake with spices, nuts, candied fruits, and brandy butter to Black Forest Cake with plenty of dark chocolate and stewed cherry with a hint of smoked salt to old cellar beams and oak staves smoldering under some toasted marshmallows. The taste leans into the spices with a good warmth supported by sharp ginger, allspice, a hint of sassafras, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg that leads to a creamy nog countered by salted black licorice and Cherry Dr. Pepper. The end leaves the spices behind and gently lands on old cherry tobacco leaves, fresh nasturtiums, and a hint of sweet black potting soil mixed with dry straw.

Yup, this is excellent.

Part 2: The Ranking

10. Maker’s Mark — Taste 3

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $24

The Whisky:

This is Maker’s signature expression. It’s made from red winter wheat with corn and malted barley and then aged in seasoned Ozark oak for six to seven years. This expression’s juice is then built from only 150 barrels (making this a small batch, if you want to call it that). Those barrels are blended, proofed, bottled, and dipped in red wax.

Bottom Line:

If this had a little more proof to it (and less water), it would have been way higher. This is good whisky at a great price. But because of that watery end, you kind of need to build this into a cocktail to plaster over that thin finish.

9. Heaven Hill Old Style Bourbon 6 Years Old — Taste 2

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $13

The Whiskey:

Heaven Hill’s Old Style Bourbon is always affordable and very palatable. This expression adds an extra two years (or so) of aging to Heaven Hill’s other entry-level juice(s). Beyond that, we’re talking about a very standard bourbon that’s meant to be mixed, shot, and enjoyed without breaking the bank.

Bottom Line:

This was another super solid bourbon that just couldn’t land the finish thanks to those low ABVs. That said, this has way more depth to it than it should for this price point.

8. Puncher’s Chance The D12TANCE Aged 12 Years — Taste 5

ABV: 48%

Average Price: $129

The Whiskey:

This sourced whiskey is a 12-year-old Tennessee straight bourbon whiskey. Those barrels are emptied and the juice is refilled into old Cabernet Sauvignon casks for a final maturation before proofing and bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was very “Tennessee whiskey,” in a great way. There was depth and nuance. Again, it was a tad thin on the end (thanks to that proofing) but great otherwise.

7. Knob Creek Small Batch Aged 9 Years — Taste 9

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $46 (one-liter)

The Whiskey:

This is Jim Beam’s small batch entry point into the wider world of Knob Creek. The juice is the low-rye mash aged for nine years in new oak in Beam’s vast warehouses. The right barrels are then mingled and cut down to 100 proof before being bottled in new, wavy bottles.

Bottom Line:

This was just classic from top to bottom. It didn’t blow me away or change the way I think about whiskey but it certainly got the job done.

6. Weller 12 — Taste 8

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $299

The Whiskey:

Weller is made from the exact same mash bill as Pappy Van Winkle. This expression of Weller rests in the warehouse for 12 long years, in the same barrels and warehouses as Pappy. The difference between this and Pappy 12 is pretty simple actually. If the barrel doesn’t hit the exact flavor profile needed for a Pappy, it’s sent to the blending house to become a Weller (as long as it hits that flavor profile, of course).

Bottom Line:

This was so well-made. It was deep and engaging while still feeling drinkable and easygoing. That said, that lower proof pushed it down this ranking a bit.

5. Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition Blend no. 012 Tennessee Whiskey — Taste 1

ABV: 60.8%

Average Price: $150

The Whiskey:

While Uncle Nearest is distilling their own juice these days, this is still the work of Master Blender Victoria Eady Butler with carefully sourced Tennessee whiskey barrels. In this case, Eady Bulter hand-selected the best-of-the-best from their inventory to create the perfect whiskey to exemplify the brand and Tennessee whiskey traditions.

Bottom Line:

This was really nice overall. There was no fault in any of it. The only reason it’s a little lower today is that I really wanted to pour this over a single rock to calm down those ABVs and let the deep flavors bloom in the glass.

4. Legent — Taste 6

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $47

The Whiskey:

This bottle from Beam Suntory marries Kentucky Bourbon, California wine, and Japanese whisky blending in one bottle. Legent is classic Kentucky bourbon made by bourbon legend Fred Noe at Beam that’s finished in both French oak that held red wine and Spanish sherry casks. The juice is then blended by whisky blending legend Shinji Fukuyo.

Bottom Line:

This was just freakin’ delicious. Again, the lower ABV is the only thing I can think to ding. Because of that, I immediately wanted to mix this into a killer Manhattan.

3. Eagle Rare 17 Years Old 2021 BTAC — Taste 10

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $2,308

The Whiskey:

This whiskey was produced in the spring of 2003. Since then, it lost 73 percent of its volume to the angels as it rested in warehouses C, K, M, and Q on various floors. The barrels were then vatted, proofed down, and bottled.

Bottom Line:

I would have put money on this or the next entry to have won. They’re both perfect bourbon specimens that are hard to beat. The proof here was a little warm but didn’t take away from the depth of the flavor profile. I simply liked the balance on the next one a tad more.

2. Michter’s Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 10 Years Old — Taste 4

ABV: 47.2%

Average Price: $512

The Whiskey:

The juice in this bottle is a little under wrap. Michter’s is currently distilling and aging its own whiskey, but this is still sourced. The actual barrels sourced for these single barrel expressions tend to be at least ten years old with some rumored to be closer to 15 years old (depending on the barrel’s quality, naturally). Either way, the juice goes through Michter’s bespoke filtration process before a touch of Kentucky’s iconic soft limestone water is added, bringing the bourbon down to a very crushable 94.4 proof.

Bottom Line:

Again, this is a perfect whiskey. Plus, it has this great balance between the warmth and the palate that just works.

1. Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Single Barrel — Taste 7

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $59

The Whiskey:

Jimmy Russell hand selects eight to nine-year-old barrels from his warehouses for their individual taste and quality. Those barrels are then cut down ever-so-slightly to 101 proof and bottled with their barrel number and warehouse location.

Bottom Line:

I was kind of surprised to see this win. I was also kind of… not surprised. I love this whiskey and actually drink it at home. It’s so good, nuanced, flavorful, and balanced that it’s almost too good to be true — especially at $60 a bottle.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

Well, there you have it. The expensive bottles were not inherently better tasting than the affordable (even cheap) ones. Hell, even the budget bottles (Maker’s and Heaven Hill) really only ranked last because of their thinner finishes, thanks to the proofing — not the taste of the whiskey.

Overall, all of these whiskeys are worth seeking out for one reason or another — mixing drinks, shots, perfecting a cocktail, neat pours on cold nights, etc. — but it’s the top four or five that really shine the brightest.

I’d recommend the Legent, Knob Creek, and Wild Turkey if you’re looking for a great everyday pour that also mixes a great cocktail. The Eagle Rare and Michter’s are also great but maybe only break those out for holidays and big occasions. Turns out you’re not missing that much between the bottles after all.

While J. Cole has always put his pro basketball ambitions at the forefront of his rap career, he’s come way further than perhaps even he could have foreseen. At the start of the month, he was announced as 2K Games’ first-ever non-athlete cover model for the latest iteration of NBA 2K. The rap star-turned-hooper features on the Gamestop-exclusive Dreamer Edition cover of NBA 2K23. He’ll also appear in the game as himself; the player will encounter him and Dreamville associates Bas and Elite in the MyCareer mode, helping the player character achieve their own hoop dreams.

As it happens, though, Cole planted the seeds for this idea even before he’d managed to make it onto a Basketball Africa League roster. In a new interview with Complex, 2K’s digital marketing director Ronnie “Ronnie2K” Singh explains how J. Cole actually approached Singh with the concept for his inclusion after giving the world one of his first public demonstrations of hoop talent at the NBA’s 2019 All-Star Weekend. There, J. Cole allowed himself to be used as a prop in fellow Fayetteville native Dennis Smith Jr.’s dunk attempt before attempting a dunk of his own. Although Cole got blocked by the rim — in his defense, he was wearing street clothes and hadn’t warmed up first — he was able to pitch Ronnie2K about being in a future version of NBA 2K.

According to Singh, “Three and a half years ago, when he dunked during one of the breaks of the All-Star Weekend Saturday Night, J. Cole said, ‘Ronnie, I’d love to be in MyCareer and help think about the ideation around that.’ I worked with our team on bringing this to life but it was very fitting to work with him. When we put out that tease, everybody thought it was going to be another basketball player…it allows us live in fashion, culture, music which 2K has a seat at the table now.”

Montrezl Harrell finally has found a new team after an offseason that saw him dealing with some legal trouble after a traffic stop in Kentucky where he was found to have marijuana on him.

Those charges were dropped from felony trafficking to misdemeanor possession last week, with his record being cleared entirely in 12 months provided he doesn’t run into any more legal trouble. With that situation settled, teams could begin looking into the former Sixth Man of the Year, and after a couple uneven seasons with the Lakers, Wizards, and Hornets, Harrell will seek out a familiar face in search of a bounce back season.

Per Adrian Wojnarowski, Harrell will join the Philadelphia 76ers where he’ll be coached once again by Doc Rivers, who oversaw Harrell’s 6MOY campaign with the Clippers and knows the talented center well.

Harrell averaged 13.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game on 64.5 percent shooting (71.6 percent from the line) in 71 games in Washington and Charlotte last season. In Philadelphia, his role will be pretty clearly defined in backing up Joel Embiid, as the Sixers give themselves an offensive weapon off the bench to spell their All-NBA big man. Harrell figures to split backup duties with Paul Reed, who showed flashes a year ago but will give Rivers a trusted veteran presence with some real scoring punch.

The school drop-off line is a constant source of stress for a lot of parents because there are so many things that can go wrong. First, you’re relying on every kid to get out of their cars without having any trouble and that their parents can get them out efficiently.

There’s also the problem of the random grandparent or babysitter who isn’t used to the routine, gumming things up for everyone behind them. A school in Ohio recently posted funny signs with ’90s hip-hop references to remind parents how to get their kids in and out as quickly and safely as possible.

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Lateasha Witherspoon, a mother in Texas with two sons, Jason, 8, and Jeremiah, 6, got more than 3.5 million views on TikTok for creating a video where she teaches other parents how to get through the drop-off line with maximum efficiency.

Witherspoon thinks the drop-off should be treated like it’s a military exercise, and a lot of parents and teachers agree.

@teashawitherspoon

This is how you do it!!! #schooldropoffsbelike #schooldropoffline #tuckandroll

“First things first, put your kids on the passenger side of the car,” Witherspoon says. Next, she says parents should have their kids “holding the latch” once you are “three or four cars” from the designated drop-off area.

Witherspoon says that kids should already have their backpacks on before they get out of the car, adding that if they’re uncomfortable for a few minutes it won’t hurt and it could actually help their posture. This is an important point because a lot of time is wasted when kids get out of the car and then have to reach back in with their tiny arms to put on their backpacks.

“They need to be ready to go,” she explains.

She also believes that parents should stop acting like chauffeurs. “Y’all have got to stop getting out of the car and opening the doors for them. Let them open their own damn door—it takes too much time,” Witherspoon says.

Her most controversial point is that parents don’t need to fully stop their car but should “yield” as their kids hop out of the moving vehicle. “It’s not a stop. It’s a yield… We’re gonna teach them how to tuck and roll,” she says.

After she made the post, Witherspoon was contacted by the school’s principal and she thought she was in trouble. “He was like, ‘I gotta thank you,’” she told Today. “He wants to post it on the school (Facebook) page!”

Witherspoon’s advice was also celebrated by fellow frustrated parents.

“I know this woman knows how to RUN a household!” Jessica Parker commented on the video. “People who mad about this video need to use the parking lot drop off!!! If you want to be extra and hold up the line, walk your kid in!” Vanessa Cisneros added.

Teachers also praised Witherspoon for the no-nonsense video.

“As a former teacher and administrator that had car duty, thank you for this,” Courtney wrote.

“Miss ma’am- teacher here can I book you for a family night to present this very helpful information?” MissYMV73 asked.

Witherspoon’s advice may be a bit much for some parents, but for those who want to take their time getting their kids out of the car, that’s what the parking lot drop-off is for. The drop-off lane is for parents like Witherspoon who don’t have the time to screw around.

If anyone deserves a six-minute standing ovation, it’s Brendan Fraser.

The actor’s return into the spotlight with notable roles in “The Affair” and “Doom Patrol” is more than a career comeback. His courageous act of speaking up about a sexual assault that led to his long Hollywood hiatus inspired others to do the same.

As Fraser once again makes headlines, this time for his transformational role as Charlie, a 600-pound obese man in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale,” he returns to the public eye not only as a beloved celebrity, but as someone who has truly made it successfully through a harrowing emotional journey.

Fans have warmly welcomed his glorious return, which has on more than one occasion made Fraser get a bit choked up. Receiving nonstop thunderous applause at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday Sept. 4 was no different.

The now-viral video is a must-see. Fraser might have undergone a million transformations in one lifetime, but one thing remains unchanged—his endearing charm.

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The clip, which has been viewed more than 15 million times, shows Aronofsky encourage a teary-eyed Fraser to take a bow. He obliges graciously, and then offers an adorable “aw shucks” kick to the crowd.

The standing ovation for #TheWhale was so enthusiastic, Brendan Fraser tried to leave the theater but the crowd’s applause made him stay. #Venezia79 pic.twitter.com/ZZ0vbFX7Rl

— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) September 4, 2022

It’s pure. It’s uplifting. It’s quintessential Brendan Fraser.

Fellow actor Dwayne Johnson also sent love to his former co-star after seeing the video, writing:

“Man this makes me so happy to see this beautiful ovation for Brendan. He supported me coming into his Mummy Returns franchise for my first ever role, which kicked off my Hollywood career. Rooting for all your success brother.”

During a press conference for “The Whale,” Fraser reflected that while he might have played the ultimate onscreen hero of the ’90s, his role of Charlie in “The Whale” is “by far and away the most heroic that I have ever played because his superpower is to see the good in others and bring that out in them.”

That level of empathy is what makes Fraser so remarkable. Life sometimes deals us an unkind hand. The choice is to become unkind ourselves or deepen our compassion. Fraser is living proof of what can happen with the latter option.

We’re all trying to find the guy who won Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series at the 2022 Creative Arts Emmys. Oh wait, it’s Tim Robinson.

Netflix’s fantastic I Think You Should Leave was up for two awards during the non-televised Emmys this weekend: Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama, or Variety Series and Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for Robinson. Sadly, Carpool Karaoke won the former (even though the driver’s ed sketch is 50 times more entertaining than watching James Corden drive ALF around Los Angeles, or whatever), but Robinson took home the latter for playing “Various Characters.”

It’s a shame that the Short Form categories aren’t presented during the primetime Emmys. A Dan Flashes shirt would really pop on the red carpet. Maybe for season three.

Speaking of the Emmys: did you realize that they’re this Sunday? Better Call Saul, Euphoria, Ozark, Severance, Squid Game, Stranger Things, Succession, and Yellowjackets are up for Outstanding Drama Series, while Abbott Elementary, Barry, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Hacks, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Only Murders in the Building, Ted Lasso, and What We Do in the Shadows compete for Outstanding Comedy Series.

You can find the full list of nominees here.

Michelle Branch is going through a lot right now, as she’s in the process of divorcing husband and Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney after accusing him of infidelity. Furthermore, she got a domestic violence charge for hitting Carney, although that was later dropped.

Another wrinkle of this situation is that Branch and Carney are musical collaborators, and Carney co-produced and performed on Branch’s upcoming album, The Trouble With Fever. Now Branch has discussed that dynamic in a new Billboard interview.

Branch was asked if the Carney situation has made it difficult to focus on the upcoming album and supporting tour and she said, “It has been the best distraction ever. I think if I didn’t have this record coming out, I would probably be in bed crying all day.”

She continued:

“It’s actually made me more excited about going out on the road and playing these shows in the next few weeks, and being reacquainted with who I am on my own, without a partner. It’s been a while since I’ve not had that creative partner with me, as far as, like, going on tour, planning, rehearsing and figuring out sounds through live shows. All that stuff is so intertwined. And seeing the amount of people who are so supportive, and ready to come out and hear these songs, it’s made me really excited to go out. I’m weirdly looking more forward to it now than I probably was, like, two months ago. Because I’m like, ‘Yeah, this feels good. I need this for my heart.’”

She also noted of the material on her new album (which she nearly released in 2021 and has therefore been finished for some time now), “It’s also great to get it out of the way now, because I have a lot of sh*t I want to write about now. This is finally leaving the nest and making room for new stuff, and that’s always exciting, too.”

Check out the full interview here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

As the promotional tour for Don’t Worry Darling continues to devolve into madness for various feud and/or spit-based reasons at the Venice Film Festival, an unearthed TikTok video might hold the secrets to the movie’s current state of disorder. Vulture writer Kathryn VanArendonk brought the video to Twitter’s attention after the Venice debacle, and if true, the behind-the-scenes account answers a lot of questions particularly around the rumored feud between Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh.

“Months ago – months and months! – there was a very gossipy blind item tiktok from someone who worked behind the scenes describing what was CLEARLY don’t worry darling, and i remember watching it and talking about it and now i’ll never find it again,” VanArendonk tweeted.

Thanks to an assist from Vice writer Cait Bladt, we now have that clip. Dated for October 2021, almost an entire year ago, the TikTok video claims to be a story from a production assistant for an unnamed film that, like VanArendonk described, is totally Don’t Worry Darling.

In the video, the PA claims that the trouble began when Wilde allegedly banned Jason Sudeikis from the set, which everyone just assumed was because of COVID. However, according to the very thinly-disguised account in the video, Wilde and Harry Styles so began visibly hooking up, which allegedly led to Pugh stepping in to direct the film. The cast and crew were allegedly hit with non-disclosure agreements to sign a month before wrapping, and the PA claims to have quit after witnessing Pugh and Wilde arguing in a trailer over how Pugh was being treated after “doing all of the work.”

For the record, this is a random TikTok video that never once mentions the name of the film nor the actors involved. However, the descriptions closely match the principal cast and director in Don’t Worry Darling. That said, we are making no claim that any of the allegations contained in the video are accurate. Fun and gossipy? Yes. Interesting given the week of chaos around the film? Sure. So there’s that.

(Via Kathryn VanArendonk on Twitter)

In Trying, Rafe Spall (The Big Short, Black Mirror, and the upcoming western The English) is one half of a young London couple trying to stay together through the slow rolling process of starting a family through adoption. It is funny and nuanced with a big heart, never hiding from the tough moments that can challenge a young couple that’s trying to chase their dreams and the silly moments that can often act as a salve. It is a show that, to be honest, not enough people are talking about despite the fact that it just wrapped its third season (on Apple TV+) with a fourth on order. A show that, while very different, has the capacity to charm fans of shows like Parks And Rec, Schitt’s Creek, and The Good Place.

Trying will absolutely fit like a comfy sweater if you or someone you know is struggling to start a family (I speak from personal experience). But the show’s reach is larger, really nailing coupledom and how happily ever after isn’t purely restricted to perfect people who have everything in common. Authenticity and love are the words that I most think of when I think of the show, and they clearly sparked Spall’s interest, bringing him to a project that has very clearly changed his perspective when it comes to work/life balance. In the following interview, we talk about that, what it’s like to give your heart to a streaming project in an era when one might get erased for a tax break, only wanting to do relatable comedies, and the secret to Jason and Nikki’s charm on Trying.

My wife and I are getting ready to get into the adoption process ourselves, so this show has meant a lot to us. It’s a lovely, well-done thing.

That makes me very happy to hear.
I imagine you hear that a bit, right?

Yeah. I’m not on any socials, but Esther (Smith, who plays Nikki to Spall’s Jason) is and she passes on lots of stuff that she gets on DMs talking about how important this show is to people. Because infertility is a thing that touches many, many people’s lives. I think one in seven. And even if it’s not happening to you specifically, it will be someone you know. And it is a topic that’s not discussed in our culture. It still remains something of a taboo. And so to make people feel less alone, to make people feel seen, which is the purpose of all art, isn’t it? To make people seen, recognized, and understood. And I’m really pleased that this show showed us that in its own way.
What do you think it is that makes Jason and Nikki so perfect for each other?

I think they’re an aspirational couple in some ways because no matter what they go through, their love deepens. There’s that great line in the end of the first season where I say to Nikki, “If this doesn’t work out, you are enough. You are enough.” And I think that’s really gorgeous. They have the same sense of humor and much like in heavyweight boxers, if their speed goes, if their footwork goes, one thing that never goes is their punching power. And I think if you get a couple that makes each other laugh, it’s the last thing to go. Many other things fall by the wayside, but the sense of humor endures. That stays. That’s what keeps you together.

It’s a perfect pairing because the two characters are drawn very differently, but yet it still works, which is something that relates very much to my own relationship. Do you think that’s part of the strength of it also, that they’re so unique [from each other]?

Yeah. They’re different and they argue and they fall out, which is obviously true to most people’s relationships. But yeah, I like that. It’s not like the classic thing that had been defined by Peppa Pig. And if you do go down the route of adoption, and you are blessed with a child, Peppa Pig will become a part of your life. And in Peppa Pig, there’s Daddy Pig who’s dumb and always getting things wrong. And then there’s Mommy pig who’s always eye-rolling at Daddy Pig and is the organized one. And this isn’t the case in our show. We are free of those tropes. These characters surprise me at every point. I’m surprised at how good a parent Jason is, how easily he takes to it. He’s a natural. And there are things that moms would expect from Nikki that don’t come true. She’s incredibly organized, but she’s also unbelievably instinctive when it comes to the kids. There’s that great bit where she knows when the kids are thirsty. It’s lovely.

Before I got this show, I was putting out into the universe that I wanted to play a character as close to myself as I could find, and then this came along. And although we’re very different, there’s a lot of me in this character, which is quite revealing actually. It’s quite revealing because I can’t hide behind an accent or whatever. There’s a lot of me in it.

Does that cause you to question certain things in your own life?

Yeah, of course. I mean, it sounds trite, but this is a show about love and connection. And I think we can become very caught in our goals in life and the achievement and attainment of dreams, and something that I found in my own life is I’m real lucky. I’ve got a really nice career and I’m able to get paid for what I love to do, but what I realized is that success and whatever success I’ve achieved professionally, it’s all great. It’s cool. I’m very, very grateful for it and I love what I do, but it doesn’t keep you warm at night. People do. Humans do. Connections. You sacrifice a lot for your career, for the attainment of dreams because you hope that when you get the money or the status or the recognition, you hope that you’ll get to the end of the rainbow, and there’ll be that pot of gold that you spent the last 20 years striving for. But that doesn’t exist. That pot of gold is in people. It’s not in any of the other things I’ve just described.

Career-wise, by any measure of my 15-year-old self’s expectations, I’ve made it in what I wanted to do, and that’s really great, but that isn’t enough. It isn’t enough. It’s not the good stuff. I’ve got three kids and my relationship with them, with my friends, the people that I love the most, that is what’s important. And it’s an obvious realization.

Things get in the way though. It’s a very difficult realization. You get distracted. Ego, ambition, all these things. In my own life, I’ve experienced it.

Yeah. Of course.

When you’re looking at the next project, does it have to be something that really makes an impact on you emotionally that you want to connect to? Are logistics and geography more a part of the discussion now than they’ve been in the past?

Yeah, all of the above. I just finished doing a 22-week run of To Kill A Mockingbird in the West End, Aaron Sorkin’s script, which meant that I didn’t get to see my kids a lot. And then I won’t say what it is, but I got offered the role of my life, to start straight after this show. I finished To Kill A Mockingbird on the 13th of August and this would’ve been going to another country, to America for three months. Amazing part, hell of a director, fantastic script, very jazzy cast, and I didn’t do it. I didn’t do it because I needed to be around, need to be around for my kids. And I perhaps would have done that in the past. Maybe I would’ve done it because it’s all I’ve known really.

You go, “Well, this incredible opportunity has come along. Let’s jump on it.” And God willing, those opportunities will continue, but they didn’t meet the criteria, and the MO at the moment was to be present for my kids. They’re starting new schools. They need me, they need their father. And you don’t get these years back. And in terms of creatively, I just have to do things that I believe in. And I know that, again, that sounds trite, but that’s what I care about. And that might even be also, they scare me. Playing Atticus Finch really scared me. That was frightening.

It would only feel trite if I see you in the trailer for Fast And Furious 11 as a mechanic. I think you’re in good shape.

That would be disingenuous. But no, I mean, I love what I do and I like to be challenged. But really, now, I just want to do things that have humor in them because life has humor in it. I just did To Kill A Mockingbird, big laughs in that. Yeah. You need to have laughs because it’s how we cope. And I’m not really interested in doing anything that doesn’t contain some element of relatable humor because that’s what humor is. It’s relatable. That’s why we laugh because it’s a release of identification.

Obviously, you’re in a streaming show, you pay attention to the industry. You see, I’m sure, the stuff that’s going on with HBO Max and shows disappearing from the service. Does that give you pause or concern about not just this show, but any other things that you would do in the future that would be on a streaming service? The idea that it could just get taken away for a tax write-off or something?

Yeah. But listen, that’s the gig, right? That’s what you do.

That seems like a new evolution of the gig to a certain extent.

It is a new evolution, but it speaks to a certain thing, which in my game is the wafer-thin gap between glory and humiliation that you tread all the time as a performer. One minute, you’re cock of the walk, the next you’re a feather duster. And that speaks to that, just like you could be on a hit show, which does three seasons or more on Apple TV. I did a season of a show that I loved on Showtime called Roadies that was written and directed by Cameron Crowe, and that got canceled after one season. And at the time I was heartbroken, but lucky enough to get this. But look, sure, that perspective of looking at the ruthlessness of commissioning and counseling… I look at it from the point of view of this is a golden time to be an actor. The wealth of stuff that’s out there.

Oh, so many opportunities.

Yeah, it’s very different. My father’s an actor (Timothy Spall). The wealth of opportunity that I have is far greater than that which he had. It’s terrific, and who knows how that’s going to play out in the future? Because every rush, there’s a crash. So let’s see. So let’s make hay while we can.

With regard to something like Roadies dying off and having that heartbreak, do you get more closed off from falling in love with a show like that [now], or do you just have to push back against that?

You’ve got to give all yourself to it. You got to do that. You got to realize that disappointment is a part of it. For every job I got as a young actor, there were 500 I didn’t get, so I get rejection constantly. And you soon figure out as a young performer whether you’ve got the stomach for that and bad reviews. You can do something really great that you care about so much, and then everyone thinks you’re terrible in it. But that’s all part of the fun, it really is.

All three seasons of ‘Trying’ are available to stream on Apple TV+

As far as casual footwear goes, you’ll be hard pressed to find any that are as comfortable as Crocs. The foam clogs are not only a popular choice for cooks around the country who are on their feet all day, but they’ve also become a fashion statement around the world. Bad Bunny made glow-in-the-dark-Crocs. Saweetie made ranch dressing Crocs (because you can decorate your Crocs with pins and it won’t affect how soft their sandal-like slip-on fit feels.) Post Malone has his own model. Everyone pretty much knows about Crocs at this point, but somehow, pop star Charli XCX just discovered them this week and she has some very pointed thoughts on them.

“Why have I only just discovered crocs?,” she tweeted yesterday. Apparently her mind just couldn’t get off of the idea of Crocs, because the “Beg For You” singer kept ruminating on what they signify as a fashion statement. “Also I feel like if ur a man who fully commits to crocs then u probs have a big dick?? that’s just the vibe I get,” she tweeted today. She later replied to a user asking about “crocs with socks” saying that, “Crocs with socks is the only way imo.”

But let’s backpedal for a second here, because it’s that first through of hers that really sticks out. I mean, that’s a pretty cold, hard take on Crocs and the men who wear them. it’s in the same vein as something Rachel Bilson brought up recently and one has to wonder whether her ex-boyfriend Bill Hader, is indeed, a part of the Crocs army?

Charli XCX is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.