Recreational Thinking: Recent Episodes
Yogesh Raut
Contestants: Erin Portman, Vince Bacani, Jimmy Davoren
I love all my contestants equally, but the moment in this episode when one reasons out the meter of the correct answer using her knowledge of prosody is an all-time highlight. Really, though, there are standout moments from everyone in an episode that covers the 4 C's — curling, Catholicism, cookies, and chess — plus everything from Neil Gaiman to '70s sitcoms to some reminders of the stirring majesty of Hawaiian culture ... and then I make a series of increasingly vulgar puns and stan Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (not at the same time). So join four people who met while taping Jeopardy! as we reunite in a much more relaxed environment for some Recreational Thinking!
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Contestants: Nathan Flynn, Bradly Martin, Danny Dogget
Full circle! We recorded this Gilliganverse-heavy episode the day Better Call Saul premiered its final half-season, and I'm releasing it right as that series airs its finale. Kismet, huh?
Welcome to one of our most atypical episodes, as the contestants are recruited not from quizzing circles but from an informal network of podcasters and pop culture commentators that I stumbled into a few years ago ... but don't worry; what they lack in quizzing experience they make up for in humor and high spirits!! I learned a lot researching some esoteric (even by this podcast's standards) topics that they suggested and I think you'll learn a lot from this episode.
NOTE: This is easily our least family-friendly episode, with a toilet literally being worked on in the background and questions built around profanity and sex acts, plus an extended detour into the female reproductive system. Listener discretion is advised. Also, this is always the case but I feel a need to reiterate here that opinions expressed by my guests are their own and do NOT necessarily represent the views of this podcast.
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Contestants: Mike Jeziorski, Tucker Warner, Jack Rousseau
Enjoy Episode 10? Then you'll love this SUPER SIZED reunion of all three members of that classic lineup, now with 95% less baseball. Never fear, though, for I Am the Pretty Thing that Writes the Questions, and so we make up for it with more nods to growing up in Illinois than a Sufjan Stevens album, more video games than a Lana Del Rey album, and more references to illicit drugs than a Willie Nelson album. Get ready to pull the Walker, Texas Ranger lever and discover the hidden connections between Tucker and 24, Conan O'Brien and Jorge Luis Borges, Neil Patrick Harris and ZZ Top, a huntress from Greek mythology and a terrorist action thriller set during Jesus' crucifixion, a billionaire heiress and her desire to cosplay as a poor person, and, of course, Marjorie Merriweather Post and the entire known universe in this longest-ever episode of Recreational Thinking! (Yes, it's so long that I elected to extend it by including at the end a discussion of how long it is.)
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Stay hungry, stay foolish, and stay listening to this SPECIAL CROSSOVER REUNION EVENT in which Recreational Thinking yet again meets The Soccer Thread! For the first time since Episode 5, the host and the majority of the contestants are occupying the same physical space, and for the first time EVER that space is OUTSIDE!! Yes, you can listen to the birds chirp and the delivery truck engines idle, as I somehow allowed myself to be dragged into nature for this taping.
That's not the only innovation ... pay close attention and see if you can hear our youngest ever guest! (You can't.) Come for the Blue Star donuts and the assault on Episode 33's steal record, stay for a "tight 45" on bats, a discussion of comparative health care in Boston and Portland, an introduction to the Sixx Orange oeuvre, and a chance to hear the contestants talk about me behind my back. Oh, and to find out what Arnold Palmer really did that day.
NOTE: My cut of this episode comes from a rather rough version of the audio. The one The Soccer Thread is preparing will be of much higher quality. Listen to that one as well, and you'll pick up a few extra jokes!
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Contestants: Matt Jackson, Jenna LaFleur, Ben Rothenberg
Buon giorno! A Jeopardy! legend and two of his DC-area pub-quiz-mates join us in this exhilarating episode, albeit with one Zooming remotely from Rome, and as if by magic a surprisingly high number of questions sprout Italian connections. (These unconscious mini-themes — last time's was Game of Thrones — are starting to become a regular feature of this podcast.) Whether you prefer tennis or theater, Joss Stone or James Bond, M&Ms or clam chowder, one thing's for certain ... this installment of Recreational Thinking is a LOT shorter than the previous one! You're welcome.
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Contestants: James Lasker, David Plotkin, Manas Sarma
"I can't believe that went longer than our technical difficulties episode!" -David
As only our second episode to cross the 3-hour mark, this one had better justify its length ... and it does! Episode 6 was the first truly great episode of this podcast, and though I was only able to reunite 2/3rds of its contestant lineup, I've bottled so much magic here that Dr. House diagnosed me with lupus! (Deep cut.) Truly, the limit of this episode's quality does not exist.
Did I really construct a question so complicated that I literally consulted four astrophysicists in the process of writing it? I did! Do I actually attempt to prove the individual with the (alleged) World's Highest IQ wrong? I do! Is this the episode when my hubris finally catches up with me and I fall flat on my face? Only one way to find out!
From Lovecraft to Lagrange, from mathletics to the Mafia, from chess streamers to Chernobyl, this ambitious episode is a banquet for hungry minds. Enjoy the feast? Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!
Contestants: Aaron Lichtig, David Goldfarb, Greg Fanoe
You know what you doing? For great justice (and knowledge), make your time for the next 2.5 hours and enjoy this experimental episode of RECREATIONAL THINKING featuring a categorical collision unlike anything we've ever seen before! If you're curious about superhero comics, Italo Calvino, Janet Jackson, the Hugo Awards, all sorts of bridges (from Staten Island to contract), and the real reason the autopilot was invented ... well, like a seemingly washed-up pitcher who strikes out 13 batters in a World Series game, this episode is full of triumphant surprises.
NOTE: We wrapped up the tape session a bit early; the last ~15 minutes are just post-mortem'ing. There's no more Q&A, and it's not fact-checked, but if you stick around you might learn something!
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Contestants: Daryl Sng, Dargan Ware, Anthony Garino
Brain work ahead? Uh, yeah, I sure hope it does! Learn about snarky YouTubers, resilient Czechs, murderous Mannerist madrigalists, Freudian chessmasters, poetry-writing Ouija boards, gentleman safecrackers, and technical fouls galore in this installment of RECREATIONAL THINKING so full of meaty twists and turns that one contestant's mother's cousin's husband would feel right at home! (That will make sense once you've listened to the episode, I promise.) We run a true gamut here: Poetry, college basketball, classical music, chess, tennis, and the great nation of Singapore are all on the menu. Oh, and speaking of menus ... is Pepsi okay? It sure is!
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Contestants: Alexander Darby, Peter Broda, Ben Zimmer
Who made the man behind "Happy" cry? What are E-Girls, and why are they ruining my life? What innocuous nursery rhyme did Paul McCartney turn into a UK Top 10 hit? Which James Bond theme drew inspiration from the Hebrew Bible? How does one stuff a wild bikini?
Let's Talk About Love, learn How to Truly Listen, and study pataphysical science as we tour the world of popular music in this single-subject episode that covers proto-punk, punk-pop, thrash metal, '80s synthpop, '90s indie rock, drummers and drumming, the careers of Stevie Wonder and Frank Zappa, and our friendly neighbors in the Great White North alongside several topics that no one requested, including children's TV, French literature, Hindi slang, historical gangsters, BBC quiz shows, the Queens neighborhood where I used to live, and lots and lots of Beatles content. And You Will Know These Contestants by The Trail of Knowledge they display!
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Contestants: Anu Kashyap, Dan Feitel, Chris Ottolino
Welcome to 2022! It's our first episode recorded since May 2021. (If you're curious what's been going on in the interim, feel free to check out the streaming show I attempted to launch: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYyq5QTgHTmLfy4kyrnM7j7fHz87ohqSy .) A former National Spelling Bee champion joins me alongside two frequent quizzing teammates, one of whom is hoping to make up for his paper-thin loss in E30, so of course the banter flies thick as we cover (among other things) the joy of spelling, the history of Pixar, the fantasy of football, the Silver Age of Comics, and also for some reason ABC's Big Sky, despite no one picking it as a topic.
Yes, like an NFL player who gets a PhD in mathematics from MIT, at RECREATIONAL THINKING we don't believe in disciplinary boundaries. So if you're curious about the non-fun kind of Zoot Suit Riot ... if you want to know which '90s alt-rock icon tells a lie in the very first line of her most famous song ... if you remember Microsoft's short-lived "Ms. Dewey" ... oh, and if you'd like to learn about the NFL player who got a PhD in mathematics from MIT, then this episode is for you.
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Contestants: Caitlin Joyce, Randall Eng, Chris Miller
How did a college student urinating into a potted plant bring down a national government? In what way is Staten Island a magical realm? When does Before come after After? Can Belgian Waffles ever be wrong? What is a "mezzo with moves"? What is "vore"? (Don't look that up.) Who is a "pantspreneur"? How is a hand grenade like an avocado? We've met before, haven't we? Do I know anyone in Idaho? Is "Deuteronomy" or "Æ" a weirder name for a child? And, most importantly, what did I say that made Caitlin vow to throttle me?
Discover the answer to most, if not all, of these questions — and learn about board games, celebrity couples, 21st century opera, mustache-less Sam Elliott, and a prolific 102-year-old character actor who's still lucid enough to give fascinating interviews — in this enigmatic, entertaining, and enlightening episode of one of the Top 25 most-listened-to Education podcasts on Podomatic!
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Contestants: Ben Rothenberg, Jimmy Li, Chris Ottolino
The Wednesday Academic Purists may be my bitter rivals in CONNECTIONS ONLINE QUIZ LEAGUE and LEARNEDLEAGUE's A Typhoon rundle, but off the quizzing field it's all fun and games — and besides, now I get to turn them against each other, in a sidesplitting episode that covers everything from RuPaul's Drag Race to 20th century philosophy, the Eurovision Song Contest to comic book superheroes, tennis to professional wrestling, human anatomy to tech start-ups, the history of socialism to my father's taste in comedians ... yeah, this one's syllabus is exceptionally diverse even by RECREATIONAL THINKING standards. The contestants are all close friends and it shows both in their rollicking chemistry and in the way the lead seesaws back and forth (and forth) until literally the final question.
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Contestants: Mike Samuelson, Colin Smith, Ryan Palmer, Dan Schroeder
They think it's all over! Well, is it? Only once you're done listening to my ridiculously entertaining crossover with the hilarious and charming men of THE SOCCER THREAD PODCAST. Yes, I mocked soccer in my description of E11, and for my sins I designed an entire episode around The Beautiful Game. Yet as we learn about it we also traverse the fields of geography, history, mathematical topology, pop music, classical music, TV/movies, and the Waverley Novels of Sir Walter Scott (seriously). These guys brought an all-new dynamic to RECREATIONAL THINKING, and I loved every raucous minute of it. Listen all the way to the end to find out which boys took a hell of a beating!
(And also to hear people pronounce my first name correctly. A fun novelty!)
You can find The Soccer Thread Podcast on your favorite podcasting app or here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-soccer-thread-podcast/id1147054293
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Contestants: Daniel Cohen, Eugene Hung, Lindsay Goldstein
There are two kinds of RECREATIONAL THINKING episodes: Ones where the contestants already know each other and ones where they find their chemistry over the course of the episode. This is an excellent example of the latter, along with being a competitive nail-biter in which the lead continually shifts back and forth over the course of the final round. So enjoy learning about Roman emperors, jukebox musicals, contract bridge, and more in this episode where saying "We are all alive at the end" genuinely counts as a spoiler!
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Contestants: Victoria Groce, Troy Meyer, Yogesh Raut
Did you notice that this week UM, ACTUALLY released an episode in which their usual host takes a turn in the contestants' chair? That must be what Jung called synchronicity!
Yes, as a birthday present for me in 2021, several friends arranged to satisfy my long-standing wish to understand and experience my own show from the perspective of a player rather than my usual writer-host spot. Special thanks to guest host Jason Myrowitz, who also supervised the question-writing, and to the other question writers who graciously volunteered their time and expertise (in alphabetical order): Susannah Brooks, Ronny Jackson, David Plotkin, and Tim Rich.
Special thanks also to two of the best quizzers in the world, Victoria Groce and Troy Meyer, for ensuring that this was an uphill battle for me. Since this episode was recorded, we have gone on to form three-fourths of the team that brought home the 2022 Quizzing World Cup to the USA. (USA! USA!) I'm told that people listen to this podcast in hopes of hearing a Battle of the Titans. Well, it doesn't get more Titan-ic than this. [Insert your own iceberg joke here]
NOTE: My audio starts off sounding like I'm underwater and gets somewhat better without ever quite reaching adequate quality. I'm sorry. But don't worry that this is a feature of all our Zoom episodes; you'll have no trouble hearing me from E28 onward.
As always: Like what you hear? Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!
Contestants: Oishee Shemontee, Drew Scheeler, Charlie Fritz
It's appropriate that in our very last episode recorded using Skype (sob) we discovered "Together Mode," as this episode's contestants are all very good friends with each other ... or were, until that bond was tested by an unprecedented streak of steals!
So come cheer on larceny as we delve into the oeuvres of Blackpink, Taylor Swift, and (why not?) Roy Lichtenstein. Like a Very Special Episode of "Degrassi," this episode has it all: lesbians, supermodels, pirates, 1940s British cinema, and discussions of Florida real estate. Oh, and a Very Special Episode of "Degrassi."
Is there a secret (even to me) hidden theme, like in the two prior episodes? Listen and find out!
As always: Like what you hear? Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!
Contestants: Ronny Jackson, Joey Goldman, Andrew Fisher
Cheerio from across the pond! We're joined in this episode by three brilliant UK quizzers, including Mimir's Well co-founder Joey Goldman. Joey is a past victor on UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE and ONLY CONNECT, but has he met his match in RECREATIONAL THINKING? Listen and find out!
Along the way, you'll learn about roguelike video games, Black Books, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, theoretical math, climbing, and pro wrestling, as well as for some reason anime, even though it wasn't anyone's selected specialty. You'll see one contestant's incredible streak of bad luck, culminating in the most creative avoidance of an f-bomb in this podcast's history. Most importantly, you'll get to spend 2.5 hours listening to British accents.
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Contestants: Lynn Yu, Christine Whelchel, Monya De
Two of my favorite contestants from last season re-join us alongside a skilled third, and together they uncover a hidden theme to this episode's questions that I wasn't even consciously aware of. What is it? Listen and find out! Also, you'll get to enjoy questions about very recent popular music, very old popular music (so old it's classical, in fact), ER, the Bible, and a lot more — and that's not even counting all the Shakespeare content I added even though no one asked for it.
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Contestants: Trevor Alexander, Greg Peterson, Joe Trela
Get ready for a streak of some of my all-time favorite episodes! Coming up we've got another all-brilliant-women episode, an all-UK-quizzers episode, a crossover episode with a soccer podcast, and even a Very Special Episode where I take a turn in the contestant chair myself.
None of which is meant to short-sell the return of WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE million dollar winner Joe Trela to take on two extremely knowledgeable challengers. Chess, ice hockey, the night sky, and the late great Stephen Sondheim (RIP) are all on the menu in another brain-tickling installment of the podcast so demanding that one contestant moved to my hometown just to gain an edge! (Or so he says.)
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Contestants: Gavin Byrnes, Ryan Rosenberg, Jason Luna
So I'll start off with an apology. I kind of let this episode get away from me; I recorded it on way too little sleep, which threw off my energy, and also I tried some experiments in question-writing that, on reflection, didn't pan out. (None of this is the fault of the contestants, who are awesome.) Maybe this isn't my favorite episode, but it's still tons of fun as it covers A Song of Ice and Fire, pro wrestling, superheroes, MLB, NBA, and of course oodles of statistics and computational geometry. I know what you're all here for!
Seriously, though, I have nine episodes in the pipeline that range from "solid" to "all-time classic." We'll be reaching new heights very soon. Stay tuned!
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Contestants: Tucker Warner, Tom Colocci, Marcus Luna
Take us out to the ballgame! Two of last's seasons most popular contestants and one very entertaining newcomer join us to kick off Season 2 with a game that's not so heavy on the baseball that it doesn't leave room for its cousin from across the pond. Oh, and plenty of other topics are represented, ranging from ancient Rome to Formula One to Nicktoons. This is one of our all-time greatest episodes (even if I did stumble slightly on the final hurdle) and yet I can guarantee that at least half a dozen more that are just as good (or better) are on the way!!
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Contestants: Paige Feldman, Mik Larsen, Rajay Kumar
Fight on! This episode sees me (joined once again by Andrew Darby from E7) re-unite with three dear friends from my days at USC, including E15 standout Rajay, as we re-fight the Civil War, re-visit -- appropriately enough -- some old "Friends," and reference Alfred Hitchcock so many times I may as well have used "Funeral March of a Marionette" as the theme music. This episode features some of my all-time favorite questions, and the finale is an absolute masterclass in abductive reasoning.
NOTE: To give you all a sense of the overall "vibe" at the taping, I've included about 2 minutes of chatter at the beginning. Feel free to skip over it if you're not entertained.
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Contestants: Isaac Renert, Milan Fernandez, Max Shatan
Happy Juneteenth! And now for something completely different: An entire episode devoted to the wide world of cinema, with three millennial cinephiles kindly stepping up and allowing me to experiment with the format.
A warning! If you aren't into movies, be prepared to approach this primarily as a learning experience. Also, the subject matter ended up veering a little further from mainstream Hollywood than I predicted, so ... if you are into movies, but your tastes are concentrated on the conventional, you should also be prepared to approach this episode primarily as a learning experience.
It's still a lot of fun! But PLEASE do not use this episode as a barometer of what "Recreational Thinking" is typically like. If you are unfamiliar with the podcast, I'd recommend starting with Episode 6, Episode 10, or Episode 13 and then working your way up to the more niche stuff.
As always: Like what you hear? Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!
Contestants: Internet personality "Default Friend," Trey Kelso, Tom Colocci
College football, DC Comics, The Office, Wicca, and Donny Osmond are all on the syllabus of an episode bookended, for no particular reason, by the works of Stephen King. Come for the realization that your favorite '80s one-hit wonder also wrote your favorite '90s Disney song; stay for the cautionary tale of what happens when you doodle a drag queen at the wrong moment (not a metaphor); savor hearing me recite the full title of "Marat/Sade" off the top of my head, because that's the kind of person I am.
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Contestants: Dargan Ware, Joshua Hill, Andy Wehrman
Order in the court!! Civil law is on the docket in this episode, alongside geography, religion, business, country music, the Founding Fathers, classic Simpsons, and more! By the way, since this episode taped Dargan Ware has published a second novel, "Old Soldiers Never Die." Check out both it and "The Legend of Colgan Toomey" at your favorite literary retailer!
Like what you hear? Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a review and/or rating on iTunes!
Contestants: David Kendall, Brian Hight, Anupama Srirangan
We travel the world in this geography-themed episode (with an emphasis on national flags and anthems), while also covering many other topics, including collegiate sports, organic chemistry, and the Old Dominion state. Like Virginia, this episode is for lovers — lovers of knowledge!
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Contestants: Jesse Palek-Zahn, Rajay Kumar, Steve Winer
We take a grand tour of the humanities, sciences, and pop culture in this episode, with questions covering history, literature, physics, health/medicine, sports, movies, TV, and more! Find out how we go from Walter White to Heisenberg without referencing "Breaking Bad," anticipate the plots of both "Ratched" and "Mank" before either of those were a thing, cover not one but two US senators who competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics, and decide which David Bowie song might have been a good alternative title for "Pocahontas."
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Contestants: Steve Evenhouse, Bill Pennington, Jonathan Klein
And now "Recreational Thinking" has its first truly international episode, with an American facing off against a Canadian native and an actual Australian who got up early to record with us all the way from the Antipodes! (Dig those exotic bird sounds in the background.) Join us as we learn about Canada, medical research, US history, international development, and of course the invaluable elephant foot yam, plus more, and stay tuned for an ending that is one-of-a-kind in "Recreational Thinking" history!!
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Contestants: Lynn Yu, Arianna Haut, Muffy Marracco
This is it, you guys. Yes, it's our first episode with an all-woman lineup, but more importantly it's our funniest and most energetic episode to date (in spite of the fact that I was still fairly illness-drained, albeit on the upswing, at the time of recording).
Two of the most masterful masterminds from GSN's MASTER MINDS, Arianna Haut and Muffy Marracco, join author and rising Hollywood star Lynn Yu for a raucous journey through Asian food, California cities, Jewish culture, Pixar movies, children's literature, presidents of the USA, and a lot more! You already got to see how entertaining Muffy was back in Episode 1, but this time you'll learn about her "towel-over-the-face" technique ... and find out whether it brings her success.
Like what you hear? Consider donating via PayPal or Patreon, and remember to leave a rating and/or review on iTunes!
Contestants: Todd Hunter, Dillon Edwards, Cheyenne Fletcher
This episode was recorded at the height of my sickness last March, and I can't say I'm at my best. Still, the contestants and I take an entertaining tour of everything from Australian history to TV cooking shows to quantum mechanics, and still find time for an extended discussion of the roots of hip hop music. Join us as we get quantum physical!
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Contestants: Mehrun Etebari, Christine Grace Whelchel, Devin Landin
The outside world rears its ugly head in this episode of "Recreational Thinking," as it is the first of three I recorded while suffering from ... let's call it SOMETHING-19.
Luckily, the contestants brought more than enough energy to make up for me as they showed off their knowledge of Parks and Rec, classical music, international geopolitics, and all sorts of other interesting stuff! Plus soccer.
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Contestants: Mike Jeziorski, Tucker Warner, Jack Rousseau
A true collision of expertise occurs in this episode that's heavy on baseball and cinema but also detours into video games, mythology, alt-rock, and molecular biology! Stay tuned to the end for a discussion that shapes the future direction of the show.
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Contestants: Steve Oppenheim, Wayne Schiff, Joe Trela
Welcome to another episode of the quizzing podcast where even a contestant who earned the top prize on WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE feels challenged ... and isn't guaranteed to win!
Topics include Seinfeld, the Cleveland Indians, the Indianapolis 500, and speculative fiction legend Harlan Ellison
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Contestants: Patti Mansbach, Darren Munk, Adam Bee
Come for the cute doggos and Jonas Brothers content; stay for one contestant's incredible streak of bad luck and another's amazing Round 3 comeback; really stay for the scintillating discussion of microeconomics!
Featuring a final question so mystifying it provoked 20 full seconds of complete silence (which, don't worry, was heavily trimmed in editing).
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Contestants: Victoria Groce, Guy Jordan, Susannah Brooks
Welcome to an all-star episode of the only podcast where you'll hear two of the best quizzers in the world each describe their experience of being pregnant! Topics include viral diseases, cooking techniques, Star Wars, the history of alcohol, and shoes. Note that the length is an extreme outlier; no other episode this season will be as long, and most will be considerably shorter.
As you'll hear ~59 mins in, this episode contains a sponsored plug from NAQT for their Buzzword TV tournament. Sign up and play before September 8 at http://naqt.com/go/YRTV (please use my link so they know I referred you).
Contestants: James Lasker, David Plotkin, Nolan Werner
Topics include ‘80s animation, the sitcom Scrubs, the New York Mets, astrophysics, and lots of tasty insects! And yes, this is the episode where technical difficulties forced one dedicated contestant to record from his own freezer.
This episode includes a special announcement ~30 mins in. It and Episode 7 are extra-long; lengths will become much more reasonable after that.
Contestants: Matt Jones, Joel Hess, Jonathan Graham
Topics include current worldwide politics, Buckeyes football, geography, and the ups and downs (or rather, acrosses and downs) of crosswords
Contestants: Jason Myrowitz, Michael Sturm, Andy Greeley
The Internet is really, really great for ... memes! Other topics include law, TV, and the Seattle Mariners
Contestants: Amanda Walker, Ryan Rosenberg, Jakob Myers
Topics include The Good Place, the NBA, modernist literature, '60s pop, and (of course) Happy Days
(Note: Sit tight for the first 10 mins - the audio issues go away after that)
Contestants: Jakob Myers, Amanda Walker, Mike Cameron
Topics include superheroes, African history, Happy Days, and more Happy Days
Contestants: Muffy Marracco, Harvey "H-Bomb" Silikovitz, Mike Burger
Topics include The Simpsons, major league baseball history, earthquakes, and David Letterman