Matt Hoying: “Kari didn’t like Spaceballs.”

Gasps were heard. Jaws dropped. Somewhere, Mel Brooks felt a disturbance in the Schwartz.

After returning from our Lexington company trip last week, Graphic Designer Kari casually mentioned she didn’t love Spaceballs, the 1987 sci-fi parody that’s long been a staple of Choice One company trip bus rides. For those unfamiliar, Spaceballs is a spoof of Star Wars—complete with characters like Dark Helmet, Yogurt, and a villain named Pizza the Hutt. It’s absurd, quotable, and deeply beloved by many of us.

And yet… Kari didn’t love it.

Despite this cinematic betrayal, we managed to carry on with our Lexington trip. We visited horse farms, held a Fowling tournament (which is somehow not bowling or football but both?), toured Keeneland, scavenged through a winery, tasted bourbon like professionals (read: not professionals), and sang our hearts out at karaoke (that’s Kari on the right in the photo, belting “Redneck Woman”).

In the end, while Kari may not appreciate the comedic genius of Director Mel Brooks or the timeless charm of a half-man, half-dog named Barf, we still love her. Even if she’s more The Proposal than Pizza the Hutt.