April 4, 2026

Lightning Round: March Madness Takes, Bracket Chaos & Spring Break Picks | Fast Five Shorts

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This Lightning Round segment of the Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, closes out the show with rapid fire takes on March Madness and all the bracket chaos that comes with it.

Chris Walton and guest host Jenna DeFranco swap thoughts on the unpredictability of the tournament, busted brackets, and the moments that make March Madness unmatched.

⏩ Tune in for the full episode here.

#LightningRound #MarchMadness #RetailFastFive #OmniTalk #BracketChaos



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00:00 - Untitled

00:00 - The Lightning Round Begins

00:45 - Changing Bracket Predictions

01:53 - March Madness vs. World Cup Excitement

03:42 - Spring Break Plans

04:12 - Travel Destinations for Spring Break

Speaker A

Well, let's head to the Lightning round, Jenna.

Speaker A

I'm gonna go back to the Michigan State.

Speaker A

So, with your boss's beloved Michigan State Spartans out of the tourney and your beloved Michigan State Spartans out of the tourney, on whom would you place your money to take this year's March Madness Tournament?

Speaker B

Yeah, well, I have to.

Speaker B

I have to do a little plug here about Go Green, because it's definitely my beloved Spartans as well.

Speaker B

But as much as I hate to admit it, I never put MSU in my top picks because then I'm not double disappointed if they lose, so they're never in my top.

Speaker B

So that didn't shoot my bracket that way.

Speaker B

But I'm from Michigan, so a lot of people say that if it's not msu, it might as well be a U of M. But I'm not that person.

Speaker B

I'm a sparty through and through.

Speaker B

So it feels right for Michigan.

Speaker B

Let's see.

Speaker B

UConn always feels dangerous in March, but I have to go with Illinois.

Speaker B

I mentioned my bracket is pretty shot, but in most areas.

Speaker B

But I did have Illinois winning it from day one, so I'm going to stick with my gut.

Speaker B

It's going to be Illinois.

Speaker A

Wow.

Speaker A

You picked Illinois to win.

Speaker A

Wow.

Speaker A

No Zona, huh?

Speaker A

No.

Speaker B

No.

Speaker A

My home state.

Speaker A

No love for Zona.

Speaker A

Oh, my God.

Speaker B

Sorry.

Speaker B

No love.

Speaker B

All right.

Speaker A

Okay.

Speaker A

We'll see.

Speaker A

We'll see how it goes.

Speaker A

I'll pull it for the Wildcats this year.

Speaker B

Yeah.

Speaker B

All right.

Speaker B

Question number two for Chris.

Speaker B

I'm sticking with the March Madness.

Speaker B

Where does this rank for you in all sporting events?

Speaker B

Are you more of a football guy, PGA tournament follower, or is this your moment?

Speaker A

Wow, that's a really, really good question.

Speaker A

I. I actually am a big basketball guy.

Speaker A

So, like, if.

Speaker A

If I think about the answer to that question, I think it's.

Speaker A

It's probably March Madness number one followed very, very closely.

Speaker A

Like, for me, it's like 1A, 1B with the NBA Finals, and it probably depends on, like, who's playing it to actually determine which one actually takes the top spot.

Speaker A

You know, like, depending, you know, like, last year was Oklahoma City and Indiana, and, like, I kind of watched it, but, like, I didn't care that much, you know, versus, like, say, when Golden State's in it, then I'm locked in on it.

Speaker A

But.

Speaker A

But the other thing I'd say, too, is, like, you have to think about the World cup, too, but that's only four years, so I'd probably put the World cup as, like, the thing that I get most excited about now, which is weird to say, but I'm not a soccer guy.

Speaker A

I just love the World cup.

Speaker A

But.

Speaker A

But yeah.

Speaker A

So I'd say March madness in the NBA Finals.

Speaker A

All right.

Speaker A

Jeopardy.

Speaker A

Is celebrating its 62nd birthday.

Speaker A

Wow.

Speaker A

By offering $6,200 in a shot on the show for a fan who can ace the test.

Speaker A

They're calling it Jepar day.

Speaker A

I bet.

Speaker A

Produce.

Speaker A

Ella loves that one.

Speaker A

Jenna, where does Jeopardy.

Speaker A

Rank in your all time game show rankings?

Speaker A

Please remember to phrase your answer in the form of a question.

Speaker B

Okay.

Speaker B

What is slightly overrated but still a classic?

Speaker B

I respect it more than I enjoy it.

Speaker B

I, I grew up watching Wheel of Fortune with my dad and that's like poor memory of mine.

Speaker B

And Jeopardy.

Speaker B

Came on right after, so.

Speaker B

But typically I didn't make it through Jeopardy.

Speaker B

If I'm gonna be honest.

Speaker B

Um, I think it's smart, it's iconic, and it's not exactly entertaining in the same way as others, in my opinion.

Speaker B

But it is also one of the game shows that have stayed consistent over the years without feeling outdated.

Speaker B

So I, I guess I'm gonna rank it just outside my top three.

Speaker B

I think it's more of a must respect than a must watch for me though.

Speaker A

Okay.

Speaker A

Okay.

Speaker A

So is Wheel of Fortune your number one?

Speaker B

Oh, I don't know how I would rank all these.

Speaker B

Yeah, I think so because it's such a core memory of mine.

Speaker B

Like my dad and I always watched it, my grandpa and I always watched it.

Speaker B

So I think so those are the.

Speaker A

Two that always come to mind for me.

Speaker A

Like when you say game shows, it's like those two and then maybe press your luck from the 80s, which I just watched this crazy like YouTube clip on the guy that like cheated press your luck and won like hundreds of thousand dollars.

Speaker A

He was like a notorious scammer.

Speaker A

But anyway, yeah, friends of Omnitok, go, go find that, that story.

Speaker A

It's pretty, pretty crazy.

Speaker A

The guy that scared.

Speaker A

The guy that cheated.

Speaker A

Press your luck.

Speaker B

Okay, Chris, Spring break is upon us.

Speaker B

If you had to make a last minute trip, no planning, no logistics, what's your destination and are you going to be relaxing or going full activity mode?

Speaker A

Oh man, you know, funny.

Speaker A

Very apropos question.

Speaker A

So I used to think it was Hawaii until I went there amid 100 year storms a couple of weeks ago and didn't see the sun at all.

Speaker A

So.

Speaker A

And it's really far to get to.

Speaker A

So I think for spring break, I don't, I don't, I don't know that I do Hawaii again, especially at that time of year, so.

Speaker A

But I think if I had the kids, actually the place I want to go is D.C. i think D.C. with the kids when they're like 10, 12 years old is like perfect.

Speaker A

But as an adult, if I was having a spring break as an adult, this is going to surprise everybody.

Speaker A

I think I'd say London.

Speaker A

I just love London.

Speaker A

London is so cool.

Speaker A

And I get to go out there for the retail technology show in a couple of weeks at the end of April, too.

Speaker A

So I'm, I'm pretty pumped about that.

Speaker A

But what would yours be, Jenna?

Speaker A

Wow.

Speaker B

Well, last minute trip to London.

Speaker B

That's a big one.

Speaker B

Yeah, mine's.

Speaker B

Mine's really.

Speaker B

It's a go to for me all the time, so I'd have to pick something that I'm used to.

Speaker B

I think for last minute I need a little bit of, like, if I'm not planning it, I need to know what I'm doing.

Speaker B

So Anna Maria island, or maybe if it's summer, northern Michigan, because I grew up there, but I think Anna Maria island, if it's like a spring break because it's just.

Speaker B

It's my favorite place in the world, so.

Speaker A

Nice, Nice, nice.

Speaker A

There's lots of songs about northern Michigan.