84 – Top 5 Pokémon

Gotta Rank’Em All!
…okay maybe not all of them but you get the idea. For over 20 years, Pokémon is still, to this day, one of the most beloved franchises of all time. In fact in many ways, Pokémon has never been more popular – now catering to the adults who grew up with the franchise as well as the younger generation of newcomers…er trainers. From the humble beginnings of only 150 Pokémon to now 800+ there has never been a better time to rank them! So join Tuong La and Gym Leaders Samantha Leggatt, Sarah Ghadbane, and Angus MacDonald as they pit their love of Pokémon, into the Ranked Poké-Gym, to battle it out and find out what the Top 5 Best Pokemon are! 

83 – Top 5 Chips

We know we can’t just eat one…
We were very lucky to record this episode pre-quarantine because live-sampling needed to happen (for research of course) to once and for all decide what the best chips are! These thin-sliced, deep-fried, crunchy snacks have been a staple in Snack Food Culture for centuries and we knew we had to do this episode justice. So join Tuong La and Potato Heads Hayley Kellett, Simone Dorie, and Leslie Cserepy as they get their sweet, salty, and savoury on and rank Top 5 Chips! 

82 – Top 5 80’s Songs

Comb back your mullets and perms because this week we are going back to the 80’s!

In many ways, the 80’s were a much simpler time. A time where fashion was colorfully neon and bold, where people loved to actually go out to the movies and go dancing, and a time where random slang words were ‘gnarly’ and ‘hella’ plentiful. Music was particularly ‘bitchin’ during this time because it gave rise to some of the best karaoke songs and, not to mention, music videos that has ever existed. From whiny guitars to synth drums to dancing in a skin-tight outfit while dramatically belting out lyrics that put today’s songs to shame – 80’s music had it it all. This week join Tuong La and Tubular guests Axandre Lemours, Victoria Luloff, and Colleen Wang as they ‘totally’ come up with a ‘rad’ Top 5 80’s Songs List!

81 – Top 5 Super Mario Games

It’s-a-me, Mario!

Mario is arguably the most iconic video game character of all time. Over the last couple decades, this pudgy little high-jumping Italian plumber has shaped the hearts and minds of gamers across the world and has consistently pushed the boundaries of what video games could be. From platforming, to party games, to karting around, to playing every conceivable sport – this one character has found ways to Nintendo-charm its way to being one of the all time greats of pop culture! So join Tuong La and Ninten-Nerds Alex Toth, Brian Costa, and Dan Foerster as they eat a power-up mushroom and storm their way through Bowser’s castle while ranking a Top 5 Super Mario games list!

80 – Top 5 Fictional Birds

CAW CAW Mother cluckers! We talking’ about birds this week!

Look we’ve done Fictional Dogs. We’ve done Fictional Cats. It was only a matter of time until we tackle the all important topic of Fictional Birds! So join Tuong La and Bodacious Bird Watchers Axandre Lemours, Victoria Lulloff, and Joey Walsh as they soar over and hoot out a Top 5 Fictional Birds list!

79 – Top 5 Real Life Power Couples of All Time

All aboard the love train!
Look, every couple thinks they have the best romance since Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams from the Notebook, but the truth is there are certain romantic duos that have that certain iconic “presence”/”power” that tower over us common folk. These pairings are often looked up to as an unstoppable team that have a large amount of influence in the world. On this year’s Valentine’s Day special, we choo-choo-choose you to join Tuong La and the Love Triangle Shannon Leis, Lindsay Gordon, and Laura Gordon as they amorously rank a list of the Top 5 Real Life Power Couples of All Time!

78 – Top 5 Movies of 2019

And the Oscars go to…

First off HAPPY THIRD BIRTHDAY to the PodCavern! **thunderous applause** It’s been a helluva ride and there are no plans on slowing down this Top 5 train!

Now let’s get down to why we are all gathered here today. Movies. Oscar season is quickly approaching and every year on Ranked’s birthday we do intensive research (aka binge) to discover the best movies of yesteryear. 2019 started off seeming like quite possibly one of the weakest years in movies in a long time, but in the last few months of the decade it managed to put out some truly remarkable films that managed to flip that entire narrative. So join Tuong La and Hollywood Big Wigs Nivala Maharaj, Doug MacKendrick, and Melanie Moshi as they vigorously regale and argue over the best movies of 2019!

77 – Top 5 Lazy Comfort Foods

Here’s to all the naughty foods that stuck by us all these years.
Look we all love food here in the PodCavern, but sometimes you don’t feel like cooking and need some reliable food that’s quick, dirty, and cheap. So join Tuong La and Instant Food Experts Taylor Fleming, Laura Gordon, and Shannon Leis as they get their microwave/toaster oven ready to rank Top 5 Lazy Comfort Foods!

76 – Top 5 Video Games of 2019

We made it to 2020!

A brand new decade of PodCavern is here and the gang is prepared for yet another year of Top 5 Lists! But before we can properly ring in the new year, as per every year, we must give some love to video games. At the outset, it seemed like 2019 would be an underwhelming year for games as the world prepares for a new generation of consoles in 2020. Turns out we were delightfully wrong! 2019 not only had some wild gaming moments but it also gave us meaningful free-to-play/subscription serviced games, expansions that felt like full games, and remakes of games that were built from the ground up that went above and beyond. So join Tuong La and Game Guru’s Matthew Whalley, Angus MacDonald, and Ethan Howieson as they celebrate the best games of 2019!

75 – Top 5 Christmas Songs

Come under our musical mistletoe this Christmas!

It’s that time of the year again for the Ranked Christmas/Holiday special! It’s also that time of the year where you cannot escape the magic of holiday music everywhere you go! While many (MANY) artists have put out their own renditions of holiday classics and originals, only some songs have stood the test of time and found a special way in our hearts (and playlists) year to year. Join Tuong La and his band of Merry Elves James Beattie. Kierstyn Beattie, and Laura Gordon as they jingle all the way to come up with a list of the Top 5 Christmas Songs!