Dandelions vs Orchids

**Molly Bloom** (0:08)
Lemonada Thinking critically is more important than ever. That's why we make Smash Boom Best. We want every kid to know how to spot a good argument and how to call out a logical fallacy. But none of it is possible without your support. Seriously, we could disappear if our listeners don't step up. But that part is easy.
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Join now at smartypass.org. Thank you. Now, it's showtime.

**SPEAKER_1** (0:50)
From the brains behind Brains On, it's Smash Boom Best.

**Sean** (0:55)
The show for people with big opinions.

**Molly Bloom** (0:58)
Hi, I'm Molly Bloom and this is Smash Boom Best. The show where we take two things, smash them together and ask you to decide which one is best. Today, we're frolicking through the flowers. One is butter yellow and grants wishes. The other is delicate and dazzling. That's right. It's Dandelions versus Orchids. Here to argue for Orchids, it's Smash Boom Best co-creator, Sanden Totten.

**Sean** (1:24)
Hey, the Orchid kid here to cut Dandelions down to photosynthesize.

**Molly Bloom** (1:31)
And doing the most for Dandelions, it's filmmaker, writer, and director, Jun Sekiya.

**Jun Sekiya** (1:37)
Jun here reporting for Dandelion Duty.

**Molly Bloom** (1:40)
Excellent. And here to stop and judge the flowers is Sean from Pasadena, California. Sean loves to read books and play video games, recently started doing Aikido and has been growing his own bonsai for four years. Hi, Sean.

**Sean** (1:54)
Hello.

**Molly Bloom** (1:55)
Okay, Sean. So in case people don't know, what are bonsai?

**Sean** (1:58)
Well, on average, a bonsai is a full grown tree that is adapted over time to being encapsulated in a small pot.

**Molly Bloom** (2:06)
So it's like a tiny little tree.

**Sean** (2:07)
Basically.

**Molly Bloom** (2:08)
And so what does it mean to grow your own bonsai?

**Sean** (2:13)
It's really like a hobby, like a friend, because your tree, he cannot betray you. He's always here for you.

**Molly Bloom** (2:20)
That's beautiful. And so, so what does it take? Like, what are kind of the steps to growing a bonsai?

**Sean** (2:25)
It's really not hard at all.
And contrary to what people say, you just like every day just water him a little bit and he'll be your friend. He'll grow up into a big tree. Just wait. You give him time and you pay attention.

**Molly Bloom** (2:38)
So let's say you get a bonsai and you just water it. And then after a few years you have to trim it. But it sounds like overall, like you're saying they're pretty low maintenance.

**Sean** (2:49)
Yeah.
Sometimes the market you buy a bonsai, that's really just a snippet of a tree that just been shoved into the dirt. And those are really scams because people are like, I want a bonsai. And then you go in the market and you buy that and it dies. But you didn't do anything wrong. So it cuts off your entire sense of wanting a bonsai.

**Molly Bloom** (3:09)
So how do you know if it's like not a scam, like a real one that won't make you disappointed?

**Sean** (3:15)
Really, it's hard to know. Like, you could start from going to go to like an authentic place, like some old guy in a market. That's probably a good guy.
Not like Trader Joe's, because that is probably just some random snippet.

**Molly Bloom** (3:32)
Smart, smart. Okay, so how many bonsai do you have right now?

**Sean** (3:35)
I'd say like 20

**Molly Bloom** (3:36)
Nice, that is so cool. Will Sean go for Orchids or Dandelions? We're about to find out. But first, the rules of the game.
Every debate consists of four rounds, the Declaration of Greatness, the micro round, the sneak attack and the final six. After each round, our judge Sean will award points to the team that impresses him the most, but he'll keep his decisions top secret until the end of the debate. Listeners, we want you to judge too. Mark down your points as you listen. At the end of the show, head to our website, smashboom.org and vote for whichever team you think won.
Okay, Jun, Sanden and Sean, are you ready?

**Jun Sekiya** (4:13)
Oh yeah, ready to rumble.

**Sean** (4:15)
Of course.

**Molly Bloom** (4:16)
Then it's time for the Declaration of Greatness.
In this round, our debaters will present a well-crafted, immersive argument in favor of their side. Then they'll each have 30 seconds to rebut their opponent's statements. We flip the coin, and Jun, you're up first. Put the pedal to the metal for Dandelions.