This week, it's Part 2 of our very, very, extra special commission series about the 1996 Olympics, this time brought to you by Club Gym Nerd member Kris. Brave Kris channeled Lilia Podkopayeva and rose to Mount Olympus as a true and eternal hero by asking us to talk about the explosion of world champions that was the 1996 WOMEN'S ALL-AROUND FINAL! Thank you so much for supporting the show, Kris!   Jessica and Spencer discuss: Withdrawals! Kerri's foot and its many, varied costumes throughout the all-around final Marinescu being replaced by Amanar because Marinescu "didn't work hard enough." HRRRRMMMM (4:16) Romania's admitted age falsification, featuring conspiracy theories about why those medals have never been stripped but China's have (8:16) How we got here: an ode to compulsories Lilia's compulsory floor is what dreams are made of Why Shannon's compulsory beam is a CLINIC on what beam is supposed to be Compulsory bars scoring was crazy-town Rotation 1 (13:20) Intro fluff about what a failure it is to get silver or bronze Khorkina's no-look salute and perfect "Phantom of the Opera" beam soundtrack Was Gogean really "predictable" and "not that exciting"? Spencer spends 715 minutes on the epic LITTLE ROZA GALIEVA fluff (31:52) The most overtly sexual floor routine in the history of gymnastics Rotation 2 Khorkina's brilliant Carmen floor routine, meerkat impression, and...month-long hospital trip??? Pod tucks her legs on bars. Was her score fair? Shannon's bat toes, insane beam save, and why you have to pay close attention to her leo The Mo salto. The end Kochetkova's beam set is the best argument for D-scores Was NBC more positive back in 1996? Rotation 3 (1:08:14) American hopes are dashed on the floor in a stream of tears "Stop crying. There's people everywhere." Why Steve Nunno's behavior was completely unacceptable So many camera flashes. Because safety and security didn't exist in 1996. Overtly patriotic leos: Yea or Nay? Theories about who picked Simona Amanar's floor music, which may or may not involve horcruxes Lily Pod makes her Soviet grandmother proud with her perfection Rotation 4 Why Podkopayeva always had the edge heading into the final rotation and didn't "take advantage of others' mistakes" Khorkina misses bars and begins an Olympic AA tradition How should the Romanians have actually ranked? Contradictory Mo Huilan fluffs Mo's floor heartbreak and potential chicken-dance penalty The final result You could tie for medals! What a concept! Piskun kisses Pod on the nose because too adorable for words The most insulting interview in NBC's history Bela and Nunno try to out-Trump each other SUPPORT THE SHOW Join Club Gym Nerd here with brand new membership tiers, commission your own episode, or commission your own segment. Buy some of our awesome merchandise here. GYMCASTIC LEOTARD CONTEST WHAT: A GymCastic crystal logo leotard, custom made to fit by Rebecca’s Moms Leotards HOW TO ENTER: Tell us who would you want to compete against in your custom-made GymCastic leo. Tag @GymCasitc and @RebeccasMomLeo on Twitter or  Instagram DEADLINE: Sunday, June 25th. Random Winner announced last podcast in June on the 28th RELATED EPISODES 255: 1996 Olympic Team Final (Commissioned) 225: 1992 Olympics Recap with Wendy Bruce (Commissioned) 185: 2008 Olympic All-Around Finals (Commissioned) 254: Vanessa Atler 148: Shannon Miller 186: Amanda Borden 38: Svetlana Boginskaya 252: Myths, Legends, and Unexpected Moments in Gymnastics History (Commissioned) 231: The Rise and Fall of Ukrainian Gymnastics 17: Growing Up In The Soviet Gymnastics System And Training At Round Lake 15: Joan Ryan Author of Little Girls in Pretty Boxes 223: Tasha Schwikert 200: Alicia Sacramone 197: Betty Okino 31: Elise Ray 28: Kristen Maloney 19: Andreea Raducan