Every Pardon My Take listener knows the drill: the guys build a Mount Rushmore, somebody's home state gets slandered, and Twitter handles the rest. This time it's Ohio catching strays, and the guy fighting back is a die-hard Buckeye who goes by OhioTate.
Todays Mount Rushmore: Worst States
PMT posted the segment simply as 'Todays Mount Rushmore: Worst States,' but the fallout on Twitter has been anything but simple. OhioTate went straight after co-host Hank specifically, firing back with the state's resume: the NFL was invented there, 7 U.S. presidents were born there, and according to OhioTate, Ohio is even responsible for the private jet Hank flew home the day before. He capped it off by saying Hank just earned himself a spot on a different Mount Rushmore entirely, the one for people Ohioans hate.
A truly disgusting performance from @hen_ease on today’s @PardonMyTake Mount Rushmore of Worst States Ohio invented the NFL, Hank 7 presidents are from Ohio, Hank! 7! I hope you enjoyed your Private Jet home yesterday, Hank. You can thank two Ohioans for that! Congrats Hank you just made the Mount Rushmore of People Ohioans Hate
Not everyone piled on. Eric Nathan, aka BarstoolNate, weighed in with his own version of the bracket and admitted the exercise made him uncomfortable in the first place, saying every state he's actually visited turned out to be enjoyable. Still, going off stereotypes and things he'd 'assume,' he landed on Mississippi, New Mexico, South Dakota and, begrudgingly, Ohio, though he softened the blow by saying Ohio 'seems fine' and is only on there because, in his words, it's still Ohio.
That kind of half-hearted inclusion is exactly what's fueling OhioTate's outrage, and it's the same conversation that pulled in a reply from The Wonton Don. He posted a podcast clip pushing back on the Ohio slander, even if he didn't fully agree with everything in it, framing it as a pick-me-up for OhioTate after the PMT hit job.
@OhioTate @hen_ease @PardonMyTake Can’t say I agree with Bert but hopefully this makes you feel better
This is what a good Mount Rushmore segment is supposed to do. PMT drops a list, somebody's pride gets bruised, and the replies write themselves for days. Ohio has been down this road before with national punchlines, but OhioTate isn't just absorbing it this time, he's turned it into a full-on grudge match with Hank specifically. Don't be surprised if this comes up again the next time PMT records live or takes questions from the Twitter crowd.