By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
It is the final 2023 episode of The Jake’s Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast!
Podcast News
2023 was one wild year! The podcast reached listeners in over 80 countries, and I had incredible conversations with amazing people, including actor Andrew Keegan-Bolger, Angel City Chorale creative director Sue Fink, country music group Chapel Hart, Disney Parks vlogger Deni Sunderly, Emmy-winning journalist Elex Michaelson, author Kara Alloway, comedian Russell Howard, and Reality TV legend Syrus Yarbrough. I also had fun catching up with my friends Paige of Most Likely Too Podcast and Dylan Deckard, along with Survivor fan-favorite and four-time The Challenge contestant Jay Starrett. Check out the podcast here!
Best of 2023 Music:
Check out my Spotify Playlist, Top 60 Songs of 2023! Country music legend Dolly Parton has the most tunes on this playlist with four songs, including her collaborations with Sir Elton John (“Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”), Cheat Codes (“Bet on Us”), Dionne Warwick (“Peace Like a River”), and the late Olivia Netwon-John (“Jolene”).
Other songs that cut include Beyonce’s “My House,” Billy Porter’s “Baby Was a Dancer,” Chapel Hart’s “Glory Days,” Ed Sheeran’s “American Town,” Idina Menzel’s “Beast,” Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam,” Lauren Marcus’s “Skinny & Blonde,” Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night,” Troye Sivan’s “Rush,” and will.i.am and Britney Spears’ “MIND YOUR BUSINESS.”
In case you can listen to any album before the year is up, I highly recommend checking out Billy Porter’s Black Mona Lisa, Cheat Codes’ One Night in Nashville, Dolly Parton’s Rockstar, Ed Sheeran’s -, Jon Batiste’s World Music Radio, Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time, and P!nk’s Trustfall.
Best of 2023 Reality TV Performances:
I recently named my top 25 performances from this year’s talent-based Reality TV shows! This year’s list includes performers from American Idol, The Masked Singer USA, and The Voice USA. The Got Talent franchise has the most representation on this list, as I have performances from America’s Got Talent: Season 18, AGT: All-Stars, Britain’s Got Talent, and Canada’s Got Talent.
In fact, for the first time, AGT conquered the Top Five performances! Congratulations to Jeanick Fournier, Tom Ball, Cristina Rae, Mzansi Youth Choir, and Putri Ariani for earning the top spots. Click here to find out more about the performances.
It was an honor to meet Star Trek icon and actor Jonathan Frakes at Planet Comicon. (Personal photo)
Best of 2023 Experiences:
2023 was a roller coaster for me as the year had many highlights, such as turning 35 and meeting legends such as Dee Bradley Baker, Jonathan Frakes, William Daniels, and William Shatner at Planet Comiccon. I was fortunate to be able to go to two different Challenge Manias and see my friend Scott Yager work his magic and catch up with the likes of Brad, Mark, and Wes and meet Dan Walsh, Derrick, Nehemiah, Nurys, Ravyn, Sylvia, and Teck for the first time.
Loved meeting Caroline Rhea this year at the Kansas City Comedy Club (Personal photo)
I will never forget seeing Bruce Springsteen with my family at the T-Mobile Center or Ed Sheeran at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium with my dear friend Brandon Glass. Or laughing at Eric Neumann and Caroline Rhea’s sets at The Comedy Club of Kansas City.
Reuniting with Mickey Mouse at Disneyland felt so good! (personal photo)
For the first time since 2011, I returned to the Disneyland Resort! I loved riding on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones Adventure, It’s A Small World, Jungle Cruise, the Matterhorn Bobsleds, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Star Tours once again. It meant the world to me to reunite with Mickey Mouse, whom I had not seen since I visited the Magic Kingdom in 2005- plus, I will treasure interacting with the Disney Villains, Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Pixar Characters, and Marvel characters.
I will never forget the thrill of experiencing Star Wars: The Rise of Resistance and Galaxy’s Edge plus Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railroad in Disneyland or going to Disney’s California Adventure for the first time! Thank you to the incredible Disney Cast Members for making my four-day visit one of my favorite solo adventures!
The Dark Side of 2023
2023 was not always filled with sunshine and rainbows. We lost incredible celebrities who have made a massive impact on pop culture including Arleen Sorkin, Billy Miller, Bob Barker, Burt Bacharach, Chaim Topol, Cynthia Weil, Earth Wind and Fire’s Fred White, Gordon Lightfoot, Harry Belafonte, Jacklyn Zeman, Jeff Beck, Jerry Springer, John Romita, Sr., Keith Giffen, Len Goodman, Matthew Perry, Michael Gambon, Norman Lear, Ralph Cirella, Raquel Welch, Richard Moll, Suzanne Somers, Tina Turner, Tony Bennett, and Tyler Christopher.
Also, there has been a disturbing rise of antisemitism across the country since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. Stand Up to Jewish Hate reported that Jewish hate is up 318 percent in the United States. I encourage everyone to visit Stand Up to Jewish Hate’s website to learn how you stand up against modern antisemitism.
Thank you to my biggest fans – my family – for their massive support this year! (Personal photo)
Thank You’s
I want to thank every guest who visited the podcast this year and every publicist who trusted me to share their clients’ stories. To my friends and mentors, I adore all of you. Thank you to every listener of the podcast. I will always be grateful for your support. A special shoutout to my family – Mom, Dad, Aaron, Whitney, Nash, Emory, and Maxwell – your love means the world to me.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND SEE YOU IN 2024!
