#gatorade

In December, the FDA announced a recall involving products distributed by Gold Star Distribution, Inc. after finding evidence of "rodent and avian contamination" at one of the company's facilities. According to the FDA, the agency "determined that the facility was operating under insanitary conditions, including the presence of rodent excreta, rodent urine, and bird droppings in areas where medical devices, drugs, human food, pet food, and cosmetic products were held." These conditions can create a risk that products held at this facility — spanning human food, pet food, cosmetic products, and medical devices — may have been contaminated with filth and harmful microorganisms. The agency warned that people exposed to these contaminated products could be at risk of illness caused by harmful bacteria, including Salmonella. Salmonella infections, the FDA noted, can be serious and sometimes fatal, particularly for infants, young children, older adults, pregnant people, and those with weakened immune systems or underlying health conditions. But it's not just humans who are at risk. The FDA added that "products contaminated with filth, rodent excreta, and rodent urine may cause illness in the animals that consume the food." Rodents, the agency added, are primary carriers of Leptospira, the bacteria that cause leptospirosis in both humans and animals.

Here's the hard part: It's a very long and very varied list. The full recall list is a whopping 44 pages long and contains everything from packaged snacks and prepared foods to pet food, medicine, and medical devices. The affected products were distributed to retailers across Indiana, Minnesota, and North Dakota. Notable food items include certain flavors and lots of Pringles, Haribo, Hershey's, Frank's Red Hot, and Jif Peanut Butter, as well as breakfast staples like Cream of Wheat, Raisin Bran, Kellogg's Rice Krispies Cereal, and Cheerios. Drinks including Gatorade, Smart Water, Pepsi, and Coca-Cola are also included. The recall further extends to medications like Advil, Tylenol, Excedrin, and Benadryl, including children's versions.

As usual, PSA before we start: this is just a post made for entertainment purposes, heavily based on speculations, assumptions and personal obsessions. It relays in a lot of hope and the belief that so many coincidences can not be possible. Stay at your own risk.

I've been planning all week to do a compilation of all the suspicious stuff I've found in the Superbowl 60 spots and teasers, but it seems like it'll never get to see the light because the more I dig in, the more brands seem to be involved in this shit to some degree.

It's not even that deep of a dive, and most of the things that I find significant might be because I'm predisposed to it, but as the saying goes: in for a penny, in for a pound. If my siblings already believe I'm losing my mind, let's earn it.

The things we accidentally overlook

What keeps amazing me about this conformitygate journey is how limitless it seems. Potential evidence, clues and theories keep pouring in to the point it feels like it's gonna bury us all. Thus, it's not surprising that we (or perhaps this only applies to me) try to filter as much information as possible in an attempt not to be overwhelmed by it.

As I couldn't possibly watch and analyze all the spots and teasers, I tried to pick from those which have made deals collaborations with ST but, lo and behold, that's still a fucking long ass list. So, I tried to limit it to brands that have been more directly involved in the series. And I think this is why, despite watching minutes upon minutes of commercials, it took me so long to lay eyes on the one from Dunkin', previously Dunkin' Donuts.

I think any CG truther can pick up on what's stands out here, but let's go over it.

The title No one can see this and the implication that whatever was recorded on that VHS was supposed to be destroyed and that it will only air once, aligns with cutgate and the suspicion that some Netflix executive erased or tried to erase Byler after Vol 1.

The fact that they chose to use a VHS, like the one that went missing from the Snow Ball, and a mysterious third VHS about which I learned yesterday thanks to @nuffit (more about that in a few).

This is a bit of a stretch but isn't the color of the walls very similar to that of Mike's room?

Also, I might be exaggerating, again, but the blinds! They look like the ones at the WSQK and the ones in the Hellmann's commercial, and I'm pretty sure I saw that type of blinds in at least another spot but I discarded that at the time. Why should so many spots use the same type of blinds? Are they that common?

The VHS is labeled Network Pilot 1995 V3, like in the V3 missing episodes, maybe? (I'll talk about the year in a few)

Now, let's look at one of the teasers to add to this already suspicious/promising line

Good news, I (we?) lied to you

Come on! Every line from what Affleck is saying could be from the Duffers pitching this to all the brands and executives.

We're sitting in a gold mine Is it my our vision? Yes Am I Are we a bit of a visionary and a genious? In many ways Do you want refracted glory? I We can give you that Stand in my our shadow and rip the rewards

This is one of the counter arguments people keep using: Why would so many brands and the NFL agree to take part in this? Because they want the refracted glory. They want to claim one day that they were part of this. Everyone wants a piece of the cake, however slim it might be.

Ready for one more?

All the pitch is very telling but some highlights for:

What's up is down You're looking me us now like you don't believe Studios didn't believe Networks didn't believe

Honorable mention to the reference to Ghostbusters and a potential lawsuit if they release this without permission. Also, what's wiht the eerie blue light (coming from a speaker, iykyk) that also appears in the Hellmann's spot.

Now, to respond why would this honor be given to Dunkin' when there could be more suitable candidates, please allow me to remind you this is a team effort, as suggested by Jaime's words to Winnona when they were filming the decapitation scene: We're they're all in this together.

Which brings us to...

All good things come in trios

That's at least what the rule of three (R3 from now on) suggests.

If you don't know what this refers to, here's a short explanation and a very educational video about this storytelling principle here.

With that in mind and after reading @nuffit's Cokegate post, a question kept haunting me.

If Coke is to Will, and Gatorade is to Jane, which brand could be assocciated to Mike?

Well, if we're only looking for brand options, there's a big bunch to choose from, but if we rely on R3 once more, we can get something more specific:

Big brand starring in the Superbowl

Beverage brand

Beverage that the character is directly associated to in S5

Coffee is Mike's drink of choice this season, which leaves us with two options: Starbucks or Dunkin', and after watching the latter's spot, we got a clear winner.

Yes, I had to give that big of a detour, but I think it was worth it because it provided me a broader perspective, and I might have an idea on how this could work.

First let's expand on the use of R3, by looking at some of the trios involved here.

Jane, Will and Mike, who imo should be the ones to confront the Mindflayer in the real final battle

Gatorade, Coke, Dunkin' coffee, all some kind of energy/stimulating drink with ties to the series, the Superbowl and potentially taking part in the big revelation

Snow Ball VHS, Coke commercial VHS, Dunkin' VHS. The Holly Trinity of secret VHS, if you wish.

Cokegate or Dukin'gate?

Now, if you look for a Coke Superbowl 60 commercial, you'll find none, not even a teaser. You'll either find a Worldcup one or the Pepsi spot about the Coca-Cola bear having an identity crisis (more on that in a few). And if you ask a browser about it, it'll tell you that Coca-Cola is breaking it's Superbowl tradition this year.

Does that mean that Cokegate is a dead end?

Not exactly.

If we follow the relations established by R3, the answer is they are one and the same. Cokin'gate, if you wish (sorry for the horrible name). You see, another use for this principle is to use each element of the trio to enhance, support or make up for the shortcomings of the other. In this case:

Coke and Dunkin' have a connection to a tape that Gatorade doesn't have

Dunkin' and Gatorade have a guaranteed role in the Super Bowl that apparently Coke doesn't have

Coke and Gatorade were explicitly used in S5, unlike Dunkin

There are to possibilities here:

All the tapes are one and the same

They have been switched

I think it's the second one because (this is where the speculative leap takes place):

What if the Snow Ball's '84 tape is missing because it was mislabelled with the year '95?

In Cokegate's post it's said that they were looking for a commercial from the mid 90's, possibly, but not definitely 96. Doesn't 1995 also count as mid 90's? So we have another potential case of a VHS labelled with the wrong year or mistaken by a different tape with a similar/same year.

There seems to be a lot of switching going on here and inside the story that will unravel during the Big Game under the watchful eye of Gatorade/Jane.

The Coke VHS switching with Snow Ball tape, which could be the one Dunkin' is holding

Henry switching places with Will and others

Mike switching places with Will as Vecna's victim

Mike switching places with Holly

Mike switching places with a lot of people actually (there are a lot of theories about this as you may be already aware)

Bob being switched for Patty according to @cara-ti-amo, if you're a Bobgate believer

El switching places with Will and whatever that Sorcerer, Wizard, Mage mess is supposed to mean

Robin switching with Tammy at the WSQK

Coke switching for Pepsi (we'll get there)

Seriously, we could be here all day.

One polar bear's identity crisis

Now, you'd ask, what does Pepsi has to do with all this? Remember, R3:

All brands want a piece of the glory

This is a team effort, as all the references to exit signs, conspiracy theories, and mentions of curses (R3 square?) in another bunch of brands seem to suggest

There has been a lot of switching involved, like the Coca-cola bear switching to Pepsi in a commercial with a totally unnecessary blue and yellow umbrella, under the tune of Queen's I want to break free, and allegedly saved from its predicament by love? That's another R3, btw.

One extra, just for fun, PepsiCo has 3 spots airing on the 8th (Pepsi Zero sugar, Lay's and Poppi) all airing at some point during the first half of the game.

Everything is connected

Once again, I was momentarily blinded by the illusion that the trails we follow are linear, when in reality they look like this (yes, this is an anime reference).

I honestly, atp have no idea of who could get the honor of the final announcement or how it will unfold, but at least this reaffirms that most, if not all the Superbowl commercials, maybe even the Superbowl itself has been compromised by CG and each participant holds a piece of the puzzle that should be put together.

On stealing the moment and refracted glory

One thing that made me doubt about Superbowlgate is that an announcement this big would steal attention from the game and the winning team, even when many people report to just tune in for the commercial and the halftime show. At first, I thought due to my bet on mayonnaise that it should happen by the end of the game which, according to this add tracker, aligns with Sweet Sandwich Time playing during the fourth quarter of the game.

However, if the traditional Gatorade bath is not to be overshadowed (like Jane shouldn't be overshadowed by Will and Mike) perhaps the second quarter, before the halftime show and before the cover of Heroes would be a better pick. And guess what, both the Pepsi and Dunkin' commercials are supposed to air during the second quarter according to the same source above.

ST things target audience would only be there for the announcement, anyway, and I'm pretty sure most of the GA short attention span would be reset after the halftime show. And it doesn't even mean that the spots airing after lose meaning because the announcement is just the realization that we're all under Vecna's curse, and the true escape from Camazotz comes when the full story is revealed.