Rico Bosco gets roasted all Week 1 during Pick Em debut

Rico Bosco isn't a rookie on this show — he's a longtime Barstool Pick Em co-host who's outlasted three Barstool presidencies — but Week 1 of this season turned into an open-season roast of the guy almost from the jump. It started with a phone call that, by Dave's own account, could not have gone worse for him.

Dave Portnoy

@stoolpresidente

That phone call could not have gone worse for Bosco t.co/hx41ggoONQ

From there the panel wouldn't let it go, needling Rico about whether he's angling to become a full-time work-from-home guy and whether he'd asked Barstool to build him a studio at his house. None of that got confirmed on camera, but the running bit was clear: something about Rico's setup this season has become a running joke for the rest of the desk.

Then came the casino-dealer segment. As part of a DraftKings partnership, Rico stepped behind the wheel to run roulette for the crew — a bit that produced its own highlight when the broadcast split-screened him next to Patrick Ewing for the visual gag.

Barstool Sports

@barstoolsports

Rico Bosco ran the wheel like only he knows how and tested his luck as a casino dealer. @DKSports #DKPartner

The roast reached its peak when Dave stopped joking and got blunt about it. Sitting across from Rico on camera, he told him flat out that a lot of his recent content has been horrific — not a punchline, just Dave saying the quiet part out loud.

Viva La Stool

@VivaLaStool

“A lot of your content has been horrific” -Dave talking to Rico

Rico wasn't the only one catching heat. Ryan Whitney — the former NHL defenseman and Spittin' Chiclets co-host who's become a recurring fixture on Pick Em broadcasts — got branded a 'skell' by the panel, and Stoolies Clubhouse piled on with a shot about him signing a deal 'like Rico sold it himself.' Large chimed in too, telling Whitney to shut up in a post aimed squarely at the beef.

Barstool Pick Em

@Barstoolpickem

Feels like @ryanwhitney6 might be a skell?!?

Rico didn't exactly help his own case either, firing back at Stoolies Clubhouse with his own jabs and posting through it — including a cryptic 'salad management needs work' shot at the show itself. Whether any of this cools off before Week 2 or just becomes the running storyline of the season is the real question now, with Dave already teasing a recurring 'Rico Resets' segment that suggests the bit isn't going away anytime soon.