All good things must come to an end. As such, it is my sad duty to report that the Bad Melee Podcast has drawn to a close—at least in terms of regular programming.
Birthed from a long-running Melee website known for its “Why Your Main Sucks” series of humorous articles, the Bad Melee Podcast has existed in some form since 2015. When host Anthony “Slime” Bruno took full editorial control of the website in summer 2016, the podcast saw a significant increase in production value, with its recording process moving from Discord to the Southern California homes of its hosts. Every week, the Bad Melee crew interspersed serious discussion about the state of the Melee scene with witty banter and humorous anecdotes about their own misadventures.
Although Bad Melee was not the first Melee podcast—that distinction might go to the Melee It On Me podcast, which started in 2013—it soon became the most popular, growing in notoriety thanks to Slime’s efforts as a writer and video creator. With each episode garnering thousands of plays, the Bad Melee podcast transcended its humble origins to become a notable contributor to the Melee zeitgeist.
In time, the podcast’s Patreon built up considerable momentum, helping to pay for the room and board of its visiting Australian host, Miles “DonB” Dobney. Unfortunately, DonB’s return to Australia signals the end of the podcast’s third season.
Don’t be afraid, Bad Melee fans: not all is lost. Though regular Bad Melee episodes have come to an end, sources say that the podcasters will still come out with the occasional special episode. Furthermore, the Bad Melee Podcast has inspired a new generation of Melee podcasters to step up to the task, so Melee podcast lovers will still have plenty to listen to. Most importantly, though the podcast is ending, Bad Melee will continue to exist as a comedic entity through Slime's video work and the occasional humor piece. After all, the Why Your Main Sucks series won't be complete until it elaborates upon the 'suckage' of Melee's entire roster.
The Bad Melee Podcast represented a turning point in the state of Smash content—a legitimization of the humorous and semi-degenerate antics enjoyed by a scene that's gradually aging out of its high school and college-based beginnings. It’s unclear what the future holds for hosts Slime, DonB, and Matthew Dawson, but this writer can only hope that they will keep their considerable talents within the world of Melee.
