AWFUL SQUAD: Return of the Tower w/ Griffin, Justin, Travis, Plante, Russ, Pat and Ryan Pequin

This week on Awful Squad sees the return of the scariest tower that ever was. Yes, it's the TOWER OF ERROR. Along for the ride is Ryan Pequin, writer/artist of Regular Show.
SUBSCRIBE for more videos! goo.gl/D8prdf
Like us on Facebook: polygon
Follow us on Twitter: polygon
Follow us on Instagram: polygondotcom
And for more great news and coverage, check out: www.polygon.com
Polygon is an entertainment website founded in 2012 in partnership with Vox Media. Our mission is to cover not only games but the artists who make them, the fans who love them, and the culture surrounding them.

[@herpestesedwardsii7862]

Griffin: "You're boxing me in." Russ: *wiggles silently*

[@cthulhu8329]

Russ jumping through a window 2 feet away from an open, non-obstructed door is probably the best thing ive seen all week

[@HunterJE]

What about jumping through a window, apologizing for the scary noise, then jumping through the other, intact pane OF THE SAME WINDOW to get back out?

[@cthulhu8329]

Hunter E Also pretty damn good, yeah!

[@90sPikachu]

every stream russ tries to discreetly eat a bagel because he is that new york

[@aud7593]

"put the tiger on the table and yell at it" i love justin's way with words

[@Nono-Bunny]

I never heard this phrase said by anyone other than the McElroys, but since English isn't my first language, I just like... Assumed it was an actual thing people said? Is it actually, in fact... Not?

[@aud7593]

@@Nono-Bunny since i commented that i've listened to enough MBMBAM to learn the Deep Lore lol, put the truth is just that one of their listeners sent in a question where IIRC their colleagues kept making up these oddball expressions, sometimes a mashup of different ones. it appears in MBMBAM ep 115

[@Nono-Bunny]

@@aud7593 Wow, really? I've listened to the entirety of MBMBaM, but I completely forgot about that one tidbit somehow! Thanks for reminding me, I think I can vaguely recall that question now that you mention it, but I absolutely didn't realize this expression came from it!

[@NachosBorealis]

Griffin 'dijon mitts' McElroy

[@merror-fx8cn]

Not to be that dork, which is to say, *absolutely* to be that dork: at 1:06:05 Justin is confused/disturbed by strawberry-flavored cereal being referred to as ‘pink flavored’ but chocolate not being referred to as brown; no word as yet on whether either flavor of cereal does, in fact, take you to task

[@kbbplays8177]

I fell asleep to an Awful Squad playlist and woke up to Justin saying that he had "switched sides and was here to help [me]" at 1:24:21. It was kinda trippy to wake up to that.

[@RyanGatts]

About jam: the sugar is what keeps it preserved, you reduce the amount of bio-available water, due to saturating it with sugar. You can do the same thing with salt, fat, or acid, or just by drying out the food you want to preserve. These are the core ideas behind almost all preserved foods, from butter, to pickles, to mustard. Bacteria and mold need water in order to metabolize the sugars and proteins in the food. Macroscopic organisms like humans can eat the stuff without much issue because we have a lot of spare water that we carry around with us (and still, eating some of these foods can make you thirsty). The other common preservation method that is easy to confuse here is canning which is where you get the food too hot for microbial life, put an airtight lid on it, and then let it cool down. The food inside the can is totally bioavailable, but there are no living microbes surviving inside the air-tight can. These cans are under negative pressure, which is why they make a distinct airy hissing noise when opened as air rushes into the can. These two techniques are not necessarily mutually exclusive and you can do both to heated sauces like jams (though, the effect of the canning only lasts until you open it).

[@Nono-hk3is]

Curious that you mentioned mustard. How does that factor in to food preservation? And are we talking powdered or prepared?

[@Regina-qr8fx]

No no for less of a dickish reply, mustard has acid and salt in it. :-) As the comment touched on foods can be preserved with those.

[@RyanGatts]

No no prepared mustard was what I was talking about (though the power is much too dry also). The vinegar and salt make the environment pretty harsh for microbes. There also isn't a lot of for microbes to eat there -- not a lot of sugar or proteins to break down

[@mcgrane1234]

Scorching hot take incoming but I always prefer the public matches over customs coz every1’s just chilling and chatting and there’s way less bs

[@MrSeagallo]

But without the custom matches, we'd never get all ASMR talk

[@MrsMistofelees]

I love the public matches more too - I don't care about the differences in talk or anything, I just love that stress and the hope that my boys will win!

[@reagancorbett2080]

same

[@coreo881]

14:45 when they all say super hot. *chef's kiss*

[@tactiCole_]

I like how Justin's avatar is literally just Travis

[@notquiteaghost]

that tower of errors game was some god tier awful squad hot dang. the vape floor especially, love to see good bits executed perfectly

[@cobinify]

hey uh polygon guys jam takes a long time to go bad for multiple reasons, the main being the low water activity and low pH. for the pectin to thick the jam the pH has to be low, so most recipes call for lemon juice or citrus to be added. and since there is so much sugar and its cooked for awhile, theres low amounts of free water for bacteria and molds to grow in. also, justin is right, before opening the can or jar the jam is in a sterile environment but it can go bad once opened. if anyone cares i dont know why i do this.

[@grandchickenlord]

I care

[@cobinify]

thanks everyone tells me food safety is boring but i like it... it all really comes down to pH and water activity bringing those things down is a sure way to make sure food will last.

[@treehugersa]

Someone's gotta do it

[@grandchickenlord]

its microbiology and chemistry, both of which are extremely interesting.

[@tylerfun3158]

The cowardly assassination of the dancing fool was amazing. Cheers

[@Ends_Of_Invention]

I'm confused as to the line-up for this video, around 50:43 a little British chimney sweep boy seems to join the voice chat in Justin's place?

[@lucy8473]

the best thing about this scream is everyone indignantly shouting HECK IS N O T A CUSS!" when russ dared try to take heck away from them

[@juliasch7854]

real griffin died and they replaced him with a look-alike ala avril lavigne which is why he sounds so different in the beginning

[@ojcorp]

thats also why hes not angry anymore

[@Rebecca-is4hn]

I'm watching this in 2021 and at around 42:00 Griffin starts talking abt a winter storm that was supposed to hit Texas, while I'm locked in my house, because a winter storm... hit... texas........

[@lf4692]

The part where Travis says "I am Mr. Ass" was so funny

[@Sage-ec7gf]

"My vape exploded...." fucking SLAYED me

[@tankgrrl]

re-watching and just dying that Russ keeps passing helmets and not telling Ryan who has been helmetless for 15 minutes!

[@sharkofjoy]

When Justin dialed it up to 9, I lost it. Beautiful.

[@jakenash3900]

Top half of all Awful Squad comments: Nice to Russ Bottom half of all Awful Squad comments: Very mean to Russ I’m sticking to the top of the comments from now on!

[@ctflwrs1197]

Jacob Nash the cream always floats to the top

[@HunterJE]

Re: the "take pictures out your window to prove you're not in a mudslide" story - because everything in western Washington is "near Seattle" as far as national news outlets are concerned, I was getting calls from distant relatives to make sure I was OK after that train derailment over an hour's drive away from anywhere I would be on any given weekday...

[@grantgliniecki243]

Thanks for cutting down on the crosstalk, including JusTunes-- don't get me wrong, I love how excited everyone gets and Justin is an incredible musician, but as someone with an auditory processing disorder, being able to hear what was going on was such a gift! I'm so grateful that y'all continue to be mindful of accessibility esp re: disability.

[@fr0stwyvern]

Grant Gliniecki yes I agree. as to others nobody is saying that his playing is bad, he has a beautiful voice. it's just some of us can't handle listening to all of that noise going on at once. thank you polygon for making it easier to hear what was going on.

[@apeacebone6499]

Same. I would, no joke, buy albums of JusTunes covers, but when I'm trying to pay attention to what's actually happening, it's a big problem.

[@GilbertDeer]

Seconded

[@tapiocateabags]

samee!!! my brain simply can’t process all the noise

[@onemillionbc6006]

Agreed. A lot of times the Justunes are fun, but last week it was driving me nuts with everything else going on. Also, his setup gates out the guitar a lot, which doesn't make for great listening.

[@jadereynolds1204]

Russ dropping a scar with like 200 ammo for an ak with 30 makes me so enraged

[@duncanurquhart5278]

they call him... doctor worm

[@duncanurquhart5278]

a genuine worm, perhaps?

[@ErdTirdMans]

He's interested in "things"

[@mbates5249]

the custom games were hysterical omg

[@SpookyBiscuits]

is it just me or does Ryan Pequin kinda sound like old bryan

[@duncanurquhart5278]

They just have 1 guest, so they have to spread him out, make him count

[@Astfgl]

He kinda does. Also their first names being just one letter B apart doesn’t help.

[@ThatPazuzu]

Griffin did NOT wash his hands that quickly. That's not good hygiene, boy

[@GoldenPerception]

ThatPazuzu To be fair his bathroom is literally right across the hall from his office ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@NavySteampunk]

he also just needed to rinse off the mustard stink

[@Zvox]

WAIT WAIT WAIT, RYAN PEQUIN THE GUY THAT WRITES THE ULTIMATE WEBCOMIC THREE WORD PHRASE? I LOVE HIM AND I LOVE THAT COMIC AND OH MY GOD

[@ojcorp]

the guest selection has been incredible recently, props to whoever is picking them!

[@leocarioshiny]

Holy shit. I read the minority report just yesterday, so when Griffin said "precog" I shot up in a fit of excitement and glee because I could understand his joke

[@samwellfrm]

Russ: Complains about not having any scopes. Proceeds to not look for loot at all. I

[@joeshireymusic]

When Griffin said "love that band" in response to Every Time I Die, I know he was probably goofin', but golly I hope he wasn't. Such a sweet, sweet hardcore boy.

[@lf4692]

12:50 "The Funny Zone" HOLLYWOOD HANDBOOK REFERENCE BY JUSTIN???????

[@KhesedBE]

Speaking of word crimes, my grandma calls flip-flops “thongs”

[@HunterJE]

Oh lord I'm such a hypocrite because generally I'm opposed to "just quoting a thing" humor but everyone doing Superego over each other gave me LIFE

[@Damori]

I've always been faithful to my one true monarch, King Butt Touches.

[@CrazyIrishmen7]

Awful Squad needs to never stop, its always so good and amusing.

[@felixvelariusbos]

37:04 Okay, just want to point out that, while they are talking about PUBG being the scariest game, Russ comes across some graffiti that, unless my Spanish is really out of wack, says "GET AWAY" *in blood red text*: "We played the game of lies" Did NOT help with the nerves

[@DaRealMcAsshole]

Cooking the fruit sterilizes it, and concentrates the sugars. The increased level of sugar kills most microorganisms that can grow in jam. 20:50

[@ActionYakPolice]

In Albany we call hamburgers steamed hams

[@renamoon8770]

"i need a helmet" russ switches out his helm for a level 3 and says nothing. "i need 556" russ hoards all the 556 and says nothing

[@TheFifthRace920]

Yep

[@bainhardt]

Holy shit that WKUK deep cut, thank you Justin for reminding me of that sketch

[@thimblyjoe]

Was watching some old Awful Squad and came up with a good new game mode for you guys: Daycare Like VIP, one member of the team is naked and doesn't wear armor. Unlike VIP they are allowed to carry guns, but only when no one on their team is watching. If a team mate catches them carrying a gun, they have to drop it. The objective for the child is to get as many kills as they can. The objective for the team is to keep the child alive and win the game. If the child ever dies, the entire team loses.

[@cuddleTrollop]

They call a knit cap/beanie a "toboggan" cause it's shortened from "toboggan hat" as in "a hat you wear while riding a toboggan"

[@alialak9446]

Is multiplayer Super Hot just a Strategy RPG?

[@imeanokaysureman]

pretty much just frozen synapse

[@mardcosplay624]

Justin is SO SALTY about the guitar call, omg!!!

[@johnjarmsen9754]

Russ is so controlling over a stream of people playing video games

[@tiamcclelland8736]

Since I can't watch live, I'm late to the party. But most jam/preserves you buy have citric acid in them, which is a preservative. I make cranberry jam, and I use lemon juice. But you can also just buy powdered citric acid.

[@roidroid]

Dear Yahoo Answers: How many citric acids to be immortal?

[@tiamcclelland8736]

6

[@Broodling1]

Oh my GOD I love and miss Three Word Phrase!!!

[@Broodling1]

Not that it's gone obviously, you just stopped updating as much when you got a real job.

[@roidroid]

Ya same, one of my fav comics, i was a bit starstruck watching this :D

[@milesbrown2261]

Oh my gosh that first game was so awesome!!!!

[@OliviaOnline]

I was here literally the whole stream and I only remember the chat

[@matthewleiner4262]

R6:V2's terrorist hunt mode was my childhood. Months well spent

[@brandonterrazas6672]

Justin, I sincerely hope I wasn't the only one to get the Eagles 🦅 reference that was in the first 2 minutes

[@Tayturs]

Thanks for making the call on the guitar playing. I love Justin, I love the feel it gave during the more chill moments, but when everyone was just trying to communicate over the sound it got frustrating.

[@eliglickman7039]

Maybe they could have a rule about intense situations v.s passive situations, cause I don't think the solution is saying bye to this very good goof

[@tristansmith8824]

I really like the contrast that occurs between Justin singing a calm, peaceful song while chaotic action is happening onscreen, for the same reason I like that sort of thing in movies.

[@MrSeagallo]

Tristan Smith For sure, but generally there's very little actual dialogue in those scenes.

[@eliglickman7039]

You can turn people lower in discord, so russ could just turn Justins volume down to a level where he's more the backing track than an overriding force

[@azikeosb9411]

Russ, right there in the first moments of the streamstream, makes a point about how the cross-talk between 7 people trying to communicate at once "plus Justin's terrific, terrific guitar playing and singing made for a, um, NIGHTMARE horror show of cross-talk where no one could understand a word that was being said, so I kind of requested from Justin, that when there was a num- when there was cross-talk-" and then Justin, goofing, interrupted with "Gr- Russ forbade me from ever playing guitar on the stream again," with Russ interrupting back "False!" Russ explicitly did not say bye to the goof full stop, just when there is already a lot of cross talk already going on so that people can understand what the nuts is going on and not have audio hell in their ears. But also, regarding lowering people audio in Discord, a lot of people already shit on Russ for trying to manage the stream while also playing the game, so putting it on Russ's shoulders to lower Justin's volume when it's necessary is pretty unfair and isn't a great solution; a better solution would be putting it on Justin's shoulders to lower his own volume, as pretty much every instance of JusTunes in high intensity situations is accompanied with the rest of the Squad begging him to either stop or lower his volume.

[@tristansmith8824]

I hear what everyone with auditory processing disorders and stuff is saying about JusTunes, but at the same time, I feel like there's *gotta* be some sorta possible compromise here, because it was one of Justin's musical moments that made me catch on to how good this series is. One problem I agree with is that a lot of JusTunes have Justin cutting out a lot, and I feel like that's due to them playing over Discord. Don't know what the solution to that could be, but I'm sure there is one.

[@roidroid]

i think it adds to the chaos, which is wonderful. This is AWFUL-SQUAD afterall, everyone panicking, running around in confusion and playing terribly is CANON.

[@Yokeki]

I think Russ only said Justin shouldn't play while everyone is trying to communicate because of crosstalk, but I'd love if he'd still play during quieter moments in the game.

[@Nono-hk3is]

A good compromise would be for everyone else to remain silent while Justin gifts us with auditory riches.

[@Yokeki]

I mean, you're probably not super serious, but I was actually thinking it would make a cool game mode where Justin plays guitar and everyone else playing the game is only allowed a certain amount of words per utterance. Total silence would be a little too hard to play, but it'd be fun to try out with restricted word count while Justin seranades.

[@NavySteampunk]

the compromise is literally that he doesnt play when people are trying to communicate/concentrate. like a few episodes ago when they were trying to figure out technical issues and justin was playing over them. i dont mind justin playing, as long as he respects the others when they ask him to stop or he stops himself when he realizes that people are trying to communicate. i dont think hes a bad guy, in case my comments come off that way. i love JusTunes but it literally is impossible for me to listen when 6 people are talking while justin is playing OVER them

[@mollymcintosh2090]

LET!!! JUSTIN!! PLAY!!! GUITAR!!

[@corbanbrauer6820]

The sugar content in jam is so high that it is not conducive for bacteria to grow in it.

[@KlooKloo]

1:39:11 Holy shit a Superego Podcast reference! The McElroys are even cooler

[@KlooKloo]

time to relisten to the whole thing

[@Jsuga85]

Griffin talked about two places I've lived. So that was nice.

[@kappaross6124]

Give Justin his guitar back! 🎸

[@CrazyIrishmen7]

#giveitback

[@AphidKirby]

Justunes Gamemode when????

[@samwellfrm]

I love the WKUK references!!!

[@ojcorp]

i wish russ would just open a package on stream, he held off for the sake of "good video" but getting loot would be way better video than just sitting on the menu screen

[@castratedrhino77]

DEZ DEM BOYS Poly gone? Whatchu gondu wit out dez boys?

[@than217]

44:00 I laughed 1:53:57 such a good touch on the ending.

[@milaraenowak7335]

i along with many people love the wonderful justunes, but i understand that a lot of people have serious trouble distinguishing crosstalk and if cutting out justunes increases their enjoyment i think we should be a good sport about it :) "peace and love" -ringo

[@daniellane9076]

Watching Russ drop his scar with 160 rounds for an AKM with 30 made me lose my fucking mind, RUSS WHAT THE FUCK DAWG

[@J_LaP]

The hat is named after the act of tobogganing, since it was first a toboggan hat.

[@marissamathews7155]

The sodium level in this video is very high.

[@elicrow1968]

Marissa Mathews the NaClroys

[@marissamathews7155]

Eli Crow NICE

[@90sPikachu]

50:42 literally yelled “fuck off!” wellies is short for wellington boots, alright!?

[@sleepingrabbit7455]

I’ll miss the frantic music playing.... dang

[@DOSPenguin]

I love smoking jerks in pubg too! its usually the ones clucking during the countdown.

[@piebutts]

never calling toques by the proper name EVER again. they're tokes now. thank you boys!

[@anodyneinstitute]

7:18 is very Back to the Future. It scared me.

[@csbunbun]

My vape... has exploded..!

[@6xlord907]

thanks griffin, now i had to make myself a sandwich at almost midnight

[@TomTubesYou]

Is that a Mateba? Did they add a Mateba to PubG?

[@iwytfmahayc]

russ, jam absolutely can go bad, but it takes long because there's sugar in it

[@connormakis3300]

I dont want Justin to feel put out, but in Russ’ defence it is nice to hear you guys talk :)

[@happyslowpoke8982]

I thought a toboggan was a sled?????

[@grimsalad]

en.wiktionary.org/wiki/toboggan#Etymology I was very confused as a canadian, but I'll let it slide since the podcast takes places in WV...

[@happyslowpoke8982]

Grim Salad Words are so weird, man

[@ploikkari95]

It's also slide in French

[@happyslowpoke8982]

Rautanainen _~The more you knooow!~_

[@wardevoidnoodle]

It's an Albany expression

[@williamnownes7173]

WKUK deepcuts, SuperEgo deepcuts, jeez references on point this episode.

[@miles2419]

Russ is a monster...

[@malori3352]

"Beware the False 'Feld!" "Not a False Sein'. Interesting." "shut up!"

[@danny-xx5pt]

ryan is such a good addition to the awful squad

[@Sarah-tw8ld]

genuine worm is a very good username I wish it was mine.

[@Nono-hk3is]

HOW ABOUT. Justin plays his guitar and everyone else remains quiet? That seems like a better idea.

[@e.hhampsen4508]

*My southern baker/cook/candy maker ass, physically shaking* s u g a r i s a P R E S E R V A T I V E

[@portmomteau]

No no no no! I cherish Justin's beautiful music! Don't stop him!

[@mouseypup]

the last game they did, didnt they say they were going to play turncoat or did i mishear? cus i guess they just kinda forgot about that lmao

[@bri5018]

Let Justin play guitar!! That was my favorite part!

[@mattvond3814]

Hella preservatives in jam

[@vetlevedal8991]

alright russ dropped a scar with well over a hundred rounds for an ak with a single magazine and my mind is blowm. literally every single other gameplay choice he's made have been understandable to me., but like how does that compute at all. i am not mad nor am i critisizing it, it's hilarious, but i am also driven to half-madness by the sheer philosophical implications here

[@starlingdio6039]

First gaming stream I've watched in it's entirety. 😎 That was highly entertaining. The game is weird.

[@fortoxili]

KK Cookies First time I've watched Awful Squad or anything PUBG, it looks like quite an interesting game. I'd like to try it out soon.

[@bradmattlage]

Do you guys stream on your twitch account? Your most recent video on there is from 2014. I'd like to catch a live stream, when/where can I catch it?

[@baileyroca1216]

Bradley Mattlage it's here on KZbin Tuesdays at 2ish

[@bradmattlage]

Bailey Roca which time zone? I think I might miss it every time cause I work normal hours and can't tune in till like 6PM CST :-(

[@bradmattlage]

Caekplz I wish they streamed in the evening. I've been following the McElroy brothers for awhile now. As a fan I just wish I could catch something live.

[@laurafrakinroslin]

Eastern Standard

[@pearlseasox]

1:14:31 That pang. XD

[@norge0209]

I guess I live north of north of the south because I was only familiar with the terms Russ used.

[@iamrar1ty]

​these lads will cross talk till they die we might as well enjoy it #JuiceTunes

[@trentonwahr8892]

So Russ can eat into the mic like a hungy boy, but J-Man can’t woo us with his strings of gold?

[@laurafrakinroslin]

The stream is a lot weaker without Justunes :(

[@huckthatdish]

Prettypinkdork I enjoy justunes, but Justunes plus PUBG chat is just a whole lot