Phlegm Phatale

Way to Die #656
Phlegm Phatale
Name of the death is a pun on "Phlegm" and "Femme fatale"
"Ira knew no bounds in the pursuit of cleanliness; spraying, scrubbing and rubbing everything in sight. But in the end, it wasn't germs; it was Ira who got rubbed out."
Information
Date	November 17, 2007
Location	Elmira, New York
Episode this death was featured in	Death, The Final Frontier
Deaths
Previous	Two Stoopid Lac-toasted (Production order)
Previous	Two Stoopid Lac-toasted (Production order)
Next	Dead Heat
Next	Dead Heat

"Phlegm Phatale", Way to Die #656, is the seventh and final death featured in "Death, The Final Frontier", which aired on July 15, 2012, as well as the final death in the series.

Plot

Ira is a germaphobe who goes on a date with a woman he met on an internet dating site named Shoshana. To prepare for their first date, he flushes out his nasal passages by using a Neti pot. When Shoshana goes to kiss him, Ira pulls out a can of disinfectant spray which causes him to sneeze blood and mucus all over Shoshana, causing her to leave. Ira soon collapses to the floor and dies from a Naegleria fowleri infection that attacks his brain and kills him due to using contaminated tap water for the Neti pot rather than distilled water.

Transcript

Villain Death plays

Narrator: Ira knew no bounds in the pursuit of cleanliness; spraying, scrubbing and rubbing everything in sight. But in the end, it wasn't germs; it was Ira who got rubbed out.

Cast & Interviewees

• Eric Satterberg - Ira (Lead: Intended victim)
• Ruthie Holmes - Shoshana (lead)
• Brianna Kellum - Natural Health Expert
• Dr. Duncan McBride - Neurological Surgeon

Trivia

• Also called "Neti Say Goodbye" on the Spike TV website.
• This is the final death featured in the series, due to series cancellation after February 2012 strike.
• This death is probably based on the death of Jonathan Capewell.
• There have been numerous news articles being published having to do with the misuse of Neti pots. There are two victims, one was a Seattle woman in 2018 and the other one was a Southwestern Florida man in 2023.
• The doggerel quote may have a reference to another death in the series (In this case, Rubbed Out). Ironically, both victims from both perspective deaths were germaphobes.
• This only happens if people use swamp or polluted lake water.
• This death is reminiscent of Guns N' Noses.
• This is the final segment that features the death of a good person.
• This death takes place a day before Rhymes With "Rich" .
• This is the last segment airing with 600's (#600-#699).
• Dr. Duncan McBride claims that naegleria fowleri infections are 100% fatal; in reality, there have been nine documented survivors of the infection of about 400 cases as of 2024, bringing the case fatality rate closer to 98-99%.
• Moral: Never spray your face with disinfectant spray, disinfectant spray can kill you.

Segment Nicknames

• Neti Say Goodbye (Spike TV)
• Gone With The Sneeze
• The End (for real now, like we need it, for the death!)
• Neti Ending
• Ira-Neti-Dead

Foreign Names

• Rotz Fatal (Snot Fatal) - German dub
• A Moco Tendido (A Snotty Nose) - Latin American Spanish dub
• Mucus Fatalis (Fatalis Mucus) - Spanish dub
• Neurose Fatal (Deadly Neurosis) - Brazilian Portuguese dub

Gallery

Ira's generally unfortunate demise

"Ira knew no bounds in the pursuit of cleanliness; spraying, scrubbing and rubbing everything in sight. But in the end, it wasn't germs; it was Ira who got rubbed out."