Ask A Genius 1404: Behind the Scenes of Lance vs. Rick: Chaos, Commentary, and the Politics of “86 47”
Author(s): Rick Rosner and Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Ask A Genius
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/06/03
Rick Rosner is an accomplished television writer with credits on shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Crank Yankers, and The Man Show. Over his career, he has earned multiple Writers Guild Award nominations—winning one—and an Emmy nomination. Rosner holds a broad academic background, graduating with the equivalent of eight majors. Based in Los Angeles, he continues to write and develop ideas while spending time with his wife, daughter, and two dogs.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen is the publisher of In-Sight Publishing (ISBN: 978-1-0692343) and Editor-in-Chief of In-Sight: Interviews (ISSN: 2369-6885). He writes for The Good Men Project, International Policy Digest (ISSN: 2332–9416), The Humanist (Print: ISSN 0018-7399; Online: ISSN 2163-3576), Basic Income Earth Network (UK Registered Charity 1177066), A Further Inquiry, and other media. He is a member in good standing of numerous media organizations.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen and Rick Rosner reflect on the dynamic of Lance vs. Rick, a political debate show marked by yelling and polarized views. Rosner defends his stance as grounded, critiques right-wing conspiracy theories like “8647,” and shares how minimal pretalk keeps the show raw, spontaneous, and often chaotic.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: So I was a guest on the Lance vs. Rick show.
Rick Rosner: Yes. We did four shows in a row. You said the first episode had too much yelling—between Lance and me, and at Lance.
Jacobsen: I’ll say this on a personal note: it was a little much for my taste. That’s the most polite way of saying it.
Rosner: Yelling is part of the deal.
Jacobsen: It’s a hard-to-watch show because it’s chaotic. But I find myself latching onto JD’s middle-ground takes. You and Lance take your extremes, and I try to sort out what’s reasonably grounded without making anyone look bad.
Rosner: I don’t find that I’m extreme in my beliefs. I find Lance to be extreme. I think I’m closer to objective reality than Lance is.
Jacobsen: What did you think of the topics for the show?
Rosner: They were mostly what I had written down. We got to quite a few of them.
Jacobsen: How much pretalk do you do before starting?
Rosner: Almost none. We want it to be fresh. Plus, if we do pretalk, we’re doing the show before the show. Our stances are fairly predictable, so there’s not much to prep.
Jacobsen: The whole “86 47” thing—what’s that?
Rosner: The right is claiming that James Comey was trying to incite Trump’s assassination based on a photo he took of seashells spelling out “8647.” That’s how we opened the show—because it’s so ridiculous. Lance couldn’t admit it was absurd.
That’s par for the course. Trump says whatever he wants, and the right does whatever it wants. The only check on the right right now is the courts. But even then, it’s whack-a-mole—throw enough stuff at the wall, and even if half of it gets blocked, the other half gets through. Pundits justify whatever nonsense he says, and the base buys it.
Last updated May 3, 2025. These terms govern all In Sight Publishing content—past, present, and future—and supersede any prior notices. In Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons BY‑NC‑ND 4.0; © In Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen 2012–Present. All trademarks, performances, databases & branding are owned by their rights holders; no use without permission. Unauthorized copying, modification, framing or public communication is prohibited. External links are not endorsed. Cookies & tracking require consent, and data processing complies with PIPEDA & GDPR; no data from children < 13 (COPPA). Content meets WCAG 2.1 AA under the Accessible Canada Act & is preserved in open archival formats with backups. Excerpts & links require full credit & hyperlink; limited quoting under fair-dealing & fair-use. All content is informational; no liability for errors or omissions: Feedback welcome, and verified errors corrected promptly. For permissions or DMCA notices, email: scott.jacobsen2025@gmail.com. Site use is governed by BC laws; content is “as‑is,” liability limited, users indemnify us; moral, performers’ & database sui generis rights reserved.
In-Sight Publishing 