As one who knows Shane personally, I will vouch for his 'authenticity' as a Bama fan. He is, however, different in real life than he is on Finebaum. He knows what Paul wants to hear and gives it to him. It's a symbiotic relationship; Paul gives him infamy and he gives Paul around fifteen minutes of free material a day.
I'd bet my last dollar , if I could find one , that the only "set-up caller" is Mildred . IMO , all the rest are 100% genuine . As a guy who has worked/hosted/produced a few thousand live shows , you'd be surprised and often amazed at what can be found on the other end of that caller button . To make matters worse , I used to have to suffer through I-Man every morning & afternoon . :eek2:
I totally agree! It would be near impossible to create a "character" like the ones mentioned. Shane and Bobby are both no different from dozens of other fans of questionable sanity..While "Mildred" was obviously a "cast member" and should have been on salary as "she" was hilarous!!
I remember that buffoon all too well.. screaming.."BEAUTIFUL DAY, AIN'T IT??"
I know this sounds like the start of a joke or something, but it's true. I met Bobby at a friend's bachelor party several years ago. He's a wormy little dude with some self esteem problems. Bama Earl was there, too. He had a shaved head and looked like a skinhead in clothes he had stolen from someone with a job.
I thought the stadium seat back on the toilet was hilarious, but the USC sticker in the bowl was even better.
_eek: Nope , thankfully not . This guy went by the handle of "Big 'n" . He was a TV caller during the early to mid '90s .
