Some holidays existed mainly for the photograph
Scott and Chris had spotted people apparently taking part in outdoor activities only long enough to create social-media evidence.
One example involved a couple taking a canoe or paddleboard only a few metres from shore, arranging the perfect picture and then returning almost immediately.
The Instagram post could make it look as though they had spent the afternoon on the water.
The actual adventure lasted roughly ten minutes.
Scott suspected the same thing happened with hikes.
Put on the gear.
Walk far enough to find the right background.
Take the picture.
Go home.
The show asked listeners to admit when they had faked it for the gram.
Grace staged an entire night out
Listener Grace had been stood up on a date after making a huge effort.
Hair.
Eyelashes.
Nails.
Fake tan.
Then the man failed to appear.
Grace was at home, upset and eating Ben & Jerry’s.
Her Instagram told a completely different story.
She searched her archive, found an old video of herself and friends in a club and reposted it as though she were out having a brilliant night.
Then she watched the viewer list until the man who had stood her up saw it.
Grace considered that a victory.
Scott understood the logic while also enjoying the contradiction.
She had been crying at home while carefully broadcasting evidence that she was completely unbothered.
Other people had built whole fake activities
Listeners admitted buying gym clothes, taking photographs in the gym and barely exercising.
Some kept old nightlife videos specifically because they might become useful later.
A Radio 1 colleague was challenged over a suspiciously perfect holiday post too.
The programme was not claiming every Instagram picture was fake.
It was increasingly convinced many showed only the five minutes somebody wanted remembered.
Ask Me Anything met a Crazy Golf champion
Then came Mark, introduced as a world Crazy Golf champion.
Scott initially wondered whether being excellent at crazy golf meant Mark was bad at “big golf”.
Mark had played normal golf before but explained that competitive mini golf was a serious discipline in its own right.
The world championship used multiple rounds over an entire weekend.
The player with the lowest combined score won.
The prize was around £1,000.
Crazy golf was skill, not luck
Scott assumed windmills, obstacles and novelty holes introduced so much randomness that anybody could win.
Mark disagreed.
Competitive players observed the surface, worked out the required line and then had to execute the shot repeatedly.
At some European events there were fewer gimmicks and an expectation that strong players could ace almost every lane.
Mark had represented Great Britain abroad in places including Sweden, Portugal and Italy.
Scott was amazed by the existence of an international competitive scene.
He jokingly offered the Scott Mills show as a future kit sponsor.
The caller had started as an amusing job title.
By the end, the show genuinely respected the sport.
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