I haven’t been inundated by that awful Applebee’s song in months, and for that I am grateful. But Boomer Esiason had the opportunity to save us from hearing it during the AFC Championship Game earlier this year and he regrets not taking action.
Monday morning, Esiason and his WFAN morning radio co-host Gregg Giannotti were discussing the exorbitant ticket prices to see country musician Walker Hayes perform on Long Island this summer, and the conversation seemingly sparked nightmares for the former NFL MVP.
Boomer wishes he knocked over the speaker playing that awful Applebee’s song behind him during the AFC Championship Game, and so do we pic.twitter.com/E8mxLkeTAi
— Brandon Contes (@BrandonContes) June 6, 2022
“I heard enough of him at the AFC Championship Game,” Esiason ranted about Hayes, who sings Fancy Like, also known as that viral Applebee’s song. “Holy crap.”
During the AFC Championship Game, CBS decided to put its NFL Today set and cast on the field for their most important broadcast of the 2021 season. With the Kansas City Chiefs leading the Cincinnati Bengals, CBS went to James Brown, Phil Simms, Nate Burleson, and Esiason on the field for their expert analysis.
But when the cameras turned to The NFL Today crew, there was a noticeably massive speaker behind their set. Seconds later, the PA Announcer introduced Walker Hayes to the stadium and his Applebee’s song demolished any hopes CBS had of airing a coherent halftime show.
Someone at CBS forgot to check halftime show speaker levels… pic.twitter.com/aZ4b7eOAsZ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 30, 2022
“I still have dreams about that day,” Esiason said. “I’m actually kind of mad at myself given how goofy all these pregame shows and halftime shows have become. I should have gotten up out of my seat and knocked the speaker off.”
Esiason, always on the straight and narrow, couldn’t ignore the potential repercussions of taking such action and ultimately decided to stay in his seat, with Fancy Like blaring in the background.
“I probably would have been kicked out of the stadium for vandalism or something and my bosses over there at CBS would have been mad at me,” Esiason added.
Maybe he’s right, knocking over the stadium speaker might not have been the best decision. But it couldn’t have been worse than the decision CBS made to see their NFL studio show attempt to analyze the AFC Championship Game while getting drowned by that awful Applebee’s song.
[WFAN]

About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com
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