Texas Ranked 2nd Worst State to Live In | Trevin & Sawyer Morning X

Trevin & Sawyer In The Morning | Austin, TX | Tuesday, July 14, 2026

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🎙️ First Hour

Morning X – Tuesday, July 14, 2026 | First Portion Analysis

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Topics & Stories Covered

• Manspreading / Leg Crossing Debate [00:00:00–00:03:35] — Sawyer opens by arguing manspreading isn’t inherently bad, pivoting to a discussion about crossing your legs, IT band strain, sleeping positions, and carpal tunnel. Light, banter-heavy cold open.

• NFL Quarterback Rankings (ESPN) [00:03:38–00:05:20] — Sawyer covers ESPN’s annual QB rankings voted on by NFL executives, coaches, and scouts. Josh Allen is #1. Trevin guesses correctly. Dak Prescott comes in at #6. CJ Stroud didn’t crack the top 10 or honorable mention. Discussion touches on Deshaun Watson and Brock Osweiler as past Texans QBs.

• Social Media Decline [00:05:23–00:08:48] — A survey finding that more than half of Americans are posting less on social media and find maintaining an online presence feels like work. Leads into a tangent about Twitter’s 140-character era, Instagram algorithm rabbit holes (Trevin’s fishing trip to Port Aransas), and a plug for their new Instagram account @MorningXAustin.

• Austin Restaurant Worker Wage Proposal [00:09:14–00:10:45] — The Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board proposed a pilot program to the Austin City Council incentivizing locally owned, independent food and beverage businesses to adopt “high road employment practices” — paying employees Austin’s living wage of $22/hour, providing healthcare, paid time off, predictable scheduling, and development opportunities.

• National Grilling Month / Average American Grills Only 13 Days a Year [00:10:46–00:14:57] — July is National Grilling Month. Trevin goes on an extended riff about grilling culture, propane vs. charcoal, pellet smokers, cooking by temperature vs. feel, and grilling pizza and lasagna. References King of the Hill and Paul Wall.

• MLB Home Run Derby on Netflix [00:15:00–00:16:25] — Sawyer recaps the previous night’s Home Run Derby, notable for being the first on Netflix and using a swing-based (not time-based) format. Jordan Walker won dramatically, hitting four consecutive home runs on his last pitch to overcome a four-home-run deficit against a Phillies player — in Philadelphia. Sawyer takes shots at ESPN’s pre-event complaining.

• Broken Lizard Interview Tease / Super Troopers 3 [00:16:26–00:17:28] — Trevin and Sawyer tease a post-show interview they did with the Broken Lizard comedy group, who are on a press tour for *Super Troopers 3* (due out in August). Steve Lemme clip plays, touching on the group’s history at early South by Southwest events and a story involving Quentin Tarantino’s circle. Clip ends mid-story.

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Austin/Texas News Stories

• Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board wage proposal [00:09:14] — Board asked Austin City Council to direct the Economic Development Department to develop a pilot program incentivizing independent, locally owned food and beverage businesses to pay a $22/hour living wage and offer benefits including healthcare, paid time off, and predictable scheduling. Still pending a council vote.

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Sports Topics

• NFL QB Rankings [00:03:38] — Josh Allen #1, Joe Burrow #4, Dak Prescott #6. CJ Stroud received votes but did not crack the top 10 or honorable mention. Brief mention of Deshaun Watson’s complicated legacy as a Texans QB.
• MLB Home Run Derby [00:15:00] — Recap of the Netflix-broadcast, swing-format derby. Jordan Walker wins with a dramatic late rally in Philadelphia.

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Austin Events / Local Happenings

• Broken Lizard press tour stop in Austin [00:16:26] — The *Super Troopers* comedy group started their *Super Troopers 3* press tour in Austin, citing longstanding ties to South by Southwest dating back to the early days of the festival.
• Trevin’s Port Aransas fishing trip [00:07:44] — Mentioned in passing during the social media discussion; Trevin went fishing in Port A the previous week.

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Restaurant / Food Discussion

• Austin restaurant worker wage pilot program [00:09:14] — See Austin/Texas news above. Trevin quips: *”What would happen is you’d have to pay them like a living wage… Yeah, like a job.”*
• National Grilling Month / grilling habits [00:10:46] — Extended conversation about grilling techniques, temperature vs. feel, pellet smokers, propane, and Trevin grilling pizza and smoking lasagna.

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Funny Bits, Debates & Memorable Exchanges

• Manspreading cold open [00:00:00] — Sawyer advocates for manspreading on health grounds; Trevin fires back that crossed legs with glasses just makes you look like you have to pee. Trevin reveals he had back surgery at 33; Sawyer counters with his Division II ACHA athlete credentials. Ends with Trevin sliding his feet back to the floor mid-segment.
• Trevin’s wife sleeping like Andrew Dice Clay smokes a cigarette [00:02:04] — *”The harm comes completely over the head.”* Sawyer asks if he takes pictures of her sleeping. *”Why would I take pictures of a sleeping woman? That’s weird.”*
• QR code tipping joke [00:10:37] — After the Austin wage story, Sawyer jokes: *”Because when they filed it, they turned the little screen around and asked them to tip right after. With a QR code.”*
• Paul Wall grilling reference [00:11:41] — Trevin asks what Paul Wall would think of Americans only grilling 13 days a year. Sawyer: *”He’s grilling 24-7.”*
• King of the Hill / propane-aganda [00:12:29] — Trevin credits Hank Hill with swinging America toward propane grilling.
• “Talkin’ Tape” Instagram tease [00:08:42] — Sawyer is posting a 15th anniversary album review on their new IG. Trevin guesses System of a Down, Alanis Morissette, Newfound Glory — all wrong. Album unrevealed by clip’s end.
• ESPN vs. Netflix Home Run Derby [00:15:20] — Sawyer’s gleeful takedown of ESPN for complaining about run time, only for the Netflix format to run the same length and deliver a more exciting finish. *”Kick rocks, ESPN.”*

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Guests / Phone Callers

• Steve Lemme (Broken Lizard) [00:16:26] — Audio clip from a post-show interview conducted the previous day. Lemme discusses Broken Lizard’s early South by Southwest history and a story involving Quentin Tarantino’s circle. Clip cuts off before the story resolves.

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Summary

The first portion of the July 14th Morning X opens with a characteristically loose cold open — Sawyer makes the case that manspreading is physiologically defensible, which quickly spirals into a back-and-forth about leg crossing, IT band strain, sleeping positions, carpal tunnel, and who holds more authority on the subject: a Division II college athlete or a guy who had back surgery at 33. It’s the kind of low-stakes, high-energy banter that sets the show’s tone before anything newsy has even been introduced.

From there, the show moves through a varied mix of sports and local news. Sawyer’s sports segments cover the ESPN NFL QB rankings — where Josh Allen tops the list, Dak Prescott slots in at six, and CJ Stroud is notably absent — and a genuinely enthusiastic recap of the MLB Home Run Derby’s Netflix debut, which Sawyer clearly loved and uses as an excuse to take shots at ESPN’s pre-event hand-wringing. On the local news front, Trevin covers a meaningful Austin story: the Food Policy Board’s proposal to incentivize locally owned restaurants to pay employees $22/hour with benefits, which the hosts treat with a mix of genuine support and dry humor (Sawyer’s QR code tipping joke lands cleanly).

The show wraps this portion with a sprawling, enthusiastic detour into National Grilling Month — anchored by the stat that the average American only grills 13 days a year, which offends Trevin deeply — before landing on a tease of their Broken Lizard interview, with a Steve Lemme clip dropping mid-story about an early South by Southwest encounter with Quentin Tarantino’s circle. *Super Troopers 3* is coming in August, and the guys clearly had a good time with that conversation. The portion ends with the clip still unresolved, suggesting more of the interview is to come later in the show.

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⏰ Second Hour

Show Date: Tuesday, July 14, 2026

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Topics Covered

• Broken Lizard / Super Troopers 3 interview (wrap-up)
• CNBC “Worst States to Live In” ranking — Texas at #2
• Emily’s boyfriend Jim attempting to fix their broken AC
• 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal preview (France vs. Spain)

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Austin & Texas News Stories

• Texas ranked #2 worst state to live in (per CNBC’s 2026 rankings), reported by Trevin [00:22:07]
• Criteria included: quality of life, crime, healthcare access, childcare, inclusiveness, worker protections, reproductive rights
• Texas strengths listed: childcare, air quality
• Texas weaknesses: health, crime, inclusiveness, worker protections, reproductive rights
• Full top 10 worst states named on air: Tennessee (#1), Texas (#2), Indiana, Louisiana, Georgia, Utah, Missouri, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas
• Hosts pushed back hard, calling it SEC bias; Trevin traced the article to CNBC reporter Scott Cohn, who is from Santa Cruz, California — prompting a triumphant “I told you!” from Sawyer [00:24:35]

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Austin Music, Venue & Event Mentions

• Alamo Drafthouse referenced as the venue where a *Puddle Cruiser* screening took place, attended by Quentin Tarantino, Richard Linklater, and Mike Judge [00:17:56–00:18:05]
• Junior Brown mentioned — noted as Tarantino’s favorite artist [00:17:44]
• Smashing Pumpkins tickets offered as a prize for voting on the show’s Instagram story [00:21:21]

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Guests & Interviews

• Broken Lizard (Jay, Steve, Paul, and Eric) — comedy troupe behind the *Super Troopers* franchise, appeared as in-studio guests (interview wrapping up in this segment) [00:21:30–00:21:37]
• Discussed the famous opening scene of *Super Troopers 1* and revealed they lacked proper filming permits; real local and highway cops ended up in a jurisdictional standoff while the Broken Lizard guys in cop costumes were caught in the middle [00:19:03–00:21:22]
• Shared the origin story of the beer boot from *Beer Fest* — Eric and castmate Lemmy discovered the boot game while day drinking after a slow waitstaff shift [00:20:12–00:21:28]
• Noted that Tarantino placed the *Beer Fest* boot as an Easter egg in *Inglourious Basterds* [00:20:02–00:20:05]
• Confirmed Super Troopers 3 in theaters August 7th [00:20:49–00:20:52]

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Sports Takes

• 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals — France vs. Spain playing today at 2 p.m. [00:30:51–00:31:02]
• Four teams remain; one semifinal today, one tomorrow, third-place game TBD, final on July 19th [00:31:03–00:31:13]
• Sawyer admitted to following the World Cup primarily through the lens of food rather than soccer fandom [00:31:19–00:31:24]

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Food & Restaurant Discussions

• Emily mentioned following the World Cup for the food — specifically calling out French food and Mexican food as highlights [00:31:22–00:31:25]

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Funny Bits & Memorable Host Moments

• The Newman Photo Debate [00:21:03–00:21:28]: Broken Lizard shared a photo from their early days allegedly featuring someone who looks like Newman from *Seinfeld*. Hosts posted it to the Morning X Instagram story asking listeners to vote “Newman or Not Newman” for a chance to win Smashing Pumpkins tickets.
• Sawyer’s worst-state guesses [00:22:53–00:23:43]: Sawyer and Emily rattled off increasingly wrong guesses for the #1 worst state (including California, Vermont, and Nevada) while Trevin read the actual list. Sawyer’s running theory that it was “SEC bias” from a coastal media writer landed when Trevin confirmed the author was from Santa Cruz, California.
• Emily’s AC saga [00:25:29–00:30:30]: Producer Emily recounted her boyfriend Jim’s late-night attempt to fix their broken AC — involving vacuuming the drain line at 12:30 a.m., flooding the system, ruining Emily’s decorative tea towels, and ultimately generating a $1,300 repair bill. Trevin and Sawyer repeatedly defended Jim’s effort (“Jim almost done fixed your AC”), while Emily remained unimpressed. The bit ended with both hosts endorsing HVAC school at ACC.

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Pop Culture & National Topics

• Super Troopers 3 — August 7th theatrical release plugged [00:20:49]
• Quentin Tarantino, Richard Linklater, Mike Judge — anecdote about all three attending a *Puddle Cruiser* screening at the Alamo Drafthouse together, “a little dusted up,” with Tarantino laughing the loudest [00:18:01–00:18:17]
• Inglourious Basterds beer boot Easter egg referenced [00:20:02]
• CNBC’s America’s Top 10 Worst States 2026 — national rankings story used as local news hook [00:22:07]

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Summary

This portion opened at the tail end of a Broken Lizard interview, with the guys sharing behind-the-scenes stories from the *Super Troopers* films — including a chaotic permit-less highway shoot that accidentally mirrored the movie’s cop comedy, and the real-world beer boot origin story that eventually made it into *Beer Fest* and then as a Tarantino Easter egg in *Inglourious Basterds*. A fun anecdote about Tarantino, Linklater, and Mike Judge showing up “a little dusted” to an Alamo Drafthouse screening of *Puddle Cruiser* added some genuine Austin film culture flavor. The segment closed with a plug for *Super Troopers 3* (August 7th) and a listener Instagram contest — vote on whether a mystery figure in an old Broken Lizard photo is Newman from *Seinfeld* to win Smashing Pumpkins tickets.

The news segment was dominated by CNBC’s ranking of Texas as the #2 worst state to live in for 2026, which the hosts received with a mix of genuine pushback and comedy. Sawyer immediately cried “SEC bias,” a theory that was seemingly validated when Trevin revealed the author was from Santa Cruz, California. The list — heavy with Southern and SEC states — gave the hosts plenty of room to riff, and the back-and-forth guessing game with Emily made for an energetic segment. Trevin acknowledged some of the listed weaknesses (particularly reproductive rights) had merit, even while defending Texas’s overall appeal with references to tacos, Big Bend, and sunsets.

The segment wrapped with two lighter topics: producer Emily’s story about boyfriend Jim’s ill-fated midnight AC repair attempt — complete with a 12:30 a.m. outdoor vacuum, flooded drip pan, ruined tea towels, and a $1,300 bill — and a quick World Cup preview noting France vs. Spain kick off at 2 p.m. with the final set for July 19th. The AC bit generated some of the segment’s biggest laughs, with Trevin and Sawyer staunchly defending Jim’s DIY spirit while Emily remained thoroughly unamused. Both hosts closed by genuinely recommending HVAC school, specifically calling out Austin Community College as a resource.

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🏁 Final Hour

Final Segment Analysis — Trevin & Sawyer In The Morning (101X) — July 14, 2026

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Topics Covered

• National Mac and Cheese Day — extended discussion on preferred noodle shapes (spirals/cavatappi #1, elbows #2, shells #3), best brands (Hill Country Fair H-E-B, Kraft, Goodles), cheese types (cheddar/powder), spice additions (dry mustard, Cajun seasoning), and meat mix-ins (chicken #1, bacon #2)
• Cyclospora/produce outbreak — humorous take on the ongoing diarrhea-causing parasite warning, Emily’s contrarian “hot take” that now is actually the best time to buy lettuce (cheap, plentiful, no one buying it)
• Mascot Hall of Fame nominations — Bevo (UT’s longhorn, debuted 1975) among 11 nominees; others include Georgia Tech’s Buzz, Mr. Met, Vancouver Canucks’ Fin the Whale, South Carolina’s Cocky, the Savannah Bananas’ Split, BYU’s Cosmo, Minnesota’s Goldy the Gopher, and the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Parrot; voting ends July 26th
• World Cup banter — ongoing confusion (Emily’s) over Spain vs. Mexico; Spain playing today
• Fiber vs. lettuce debate — iceberg lettuce described as having zero nutritional value, “the tilapia of the vegetable world”; advocacy for fiber over big lettuce
• Smashing Pumpkins ticket giveaway — via Instagram poll tied to Super Troopers/Newman photo bit

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Closing News & Sports Updates

• UT’s Bevo nominated for Mascot Hall of Fame — voting open through July 26th; link to be posted on the station website
• Spain playing in the World Cup today — briefly referenced in closing banter

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Austin Event Recommendations

• Hot Summer Nights on Red River Street — show announces a live broadcast Thursday, approximately 5–7 PM; Trevin and Sawyer will be broadcasting on-site as part of the festivities

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Funny Closing Moments & Memorable Quotes

• [00:33:04] Trevin: *”I can make blue box mac and cheese with the powder stuff better than anyone in this state.”*
• [00:35:14] Trevin: *”God, you guys are idiots. Y’all are some of the stupidest people I’ve ever worked with in my life.”* (reacting to chicken vs. bacon debate)
• [00:39:06] On iceberg lettuce: *”It’s like the tilapia of the vegetable world.”*
• [00:40:08] Sawyer riffing on Foo Fighters: *”All my life I’ve been looking for fiber…”*
• [00:39:41] On the parasite name: *”Cyclospora sounds like a class one would take… That was a Slipknot album in the mid-2000s.”*
• [00:43:10–43:12] Emily, after repeatedly confusing Spain and Mexico throughout the show: *”No wait — it’s Spain!”* followed by defeated groaning from everyone
• [00:43:13] Emily: *”I hate this. When is soccer over?”*
• Emily’s Goodles anecdote — boyfriend’s sister allegedly passed out from eating a full box due to too many nutrients; Trevin: *”Before Goodles’ name is besmirched on this morning’s show…”*

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How the Show Wrapped Up

The show closed with Trevin giving send-off compliments to Sawyer and Emily, a reminder about the Smashing Pumpkins ticket giveaway via Instagram poll, a plug for the full Super Troopers interview on the podcast, and a reminder to follow Morning X Austin on Instagram. Sawyer was told to go blow his nose and eat hot ramen. The sign-off was loose, warm, and characteristically chaotic.

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3-Paragraph Summary

The final stretch of the July 14th Morning X opened with a spirited and thoroughly opinionated National Mac and Cheese Day conversation, with Trevin declaring himself the best blue-box mac and cheese maker in Texas, a third voice (Emily) championing the premium brand Goodles, and Sawyer advocating for Cajun seasoning as a life-changing addition. The debate covered noodle shapes, cheese powder authenticity, the distinction between “making mac and cheese” and “making a box of mac,” and whether chicken or bacon is the superior mix-in — a question that prompted Trevin’s gleefully exasperated insult of his entire co-hosting team.

The news segment covered Bevo’s nomination for the Mascot Hall of Fame (voting through July 26th), with a fun quiz on the other ten nominees ranging from the Savannah Bananas’ Split to Pittsburgh’s Parrot. This was followed by a comedic riff on the ongoing Cyclospora/produce outbreak, with Emily delivering her controversial hot take that a public health scare is actually the ideal moment to explore salad eating — cheaper produce, better selection, less competition. The segment spiraled into a full debate about whether iceberg lettuce has any nutritional value (consensus: none), and whether fiber or lettuce deserves the public’s trust (consensus: big fiber wins, big lettuce loses).

The show closed with a preview of the crew’s live Thursday broadcast at Hot Summer Nights on Red River (5–7 PM), a reminder about the Smashing Pumpkins ticket giveaway on Instagram, and a plug for the full Super Troopers interview on the podcast. The final moments were dominated by Emily’s repeated inability to distinguish Spain from Mexico in World Cup context — a running gag that culminated in her audibly suffering through her own correction in real time, prompting her to suggest she simply not return until next week. Trevin and Sawyer sent her off warmly anyway, closing out another loose, funny, and authentically Austin morning.

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Analysis generated from archived transcripts. Hosts: Trevin Smith and Sawyer Stull. Morning X — 101X Austin, TX.