It’s a voyage of trivia on Go Fact Yourself!

Tim Russ is a director, musician, and actor, perhaps best known for his role as Lieutenant Commander Tuvok on “Star Trek: Voyager.” He’s also appeared in other roles across different editions of the franchise – but it wasn’t until he attended a convention that he understood how dedicated the fanbase is. Plus: he’ll tell us how he explores the stars in real life!

Amber Nelson is a comedian who also hosts a number of podcasts. One, “The Brighter Side,” is all about finding optimism in troubling times (something that Amber never expected to work). Another, “Some Place Under Neith” examines stories of missing women and children.

Areas of Expertise:

Tim: Astronomy, Alien invasion movies of the 1950s and 60s, and World War II.

Amber: The TV show “The Twilight Zone,” Korn songs, and World War I.

What’s the Difference: Eye Spy

What’s the difference between a telescope and a spyglass?

What’s the difference between an optometrist and an ophthalmologist?

Guest Experts:

Marc Scott Zicree: Screenwriter, producer, and author of the book The Twilight Zone Companion. 

Jack Moran: U.S. Army Staff Sergeant in WWII.

Hosts: 

J. Keith van Straaten

Helen Hong

Credits:

Theme Song by Jonathan Green.

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.

Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU!

It’s a one-on-one trivia match between TV all stars!

Betsy Brandt is best known as Marie on “Breaking Bad,” a role she reprised in the final episode of the series’ successor “Better Call Saul.” She’ll tell us why she was so dedicated to keeping her return a secret. Plus, why she wasn’t optimistic about “Breaking Bad” being a success.

Cirroc Lofton played Jake Sisko on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” Even though he was a massive part of Star Trek, he never actually watched anything from the franchise for himself. He’ll tell us how his podcast, “The 7th Rule,” is finally fixing that.

Areas of expertise:

Betsy: The plays of Anton Chekhov, baking pies, and cheese

Cirroc: Tupac’s “Makaveli” album, The Kobe Bryant-era Lakers Championships, and “The Twilight Zone” original series

What’s the Difference: Opiate of the Masses

What’s the difference between opiates and opioids?

What’s the difference between a Catholic church service and a mass?

Guest Experts:

Carlos Carrasco: Actor who’s appeared in shows like “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and the film Speed  – plus a recent production of Chekhov.

James Tupper: Actor who’s appeared in shows like “Revenge” and “Big Little Lies” – plus a recent production of Chekhov.

Metta World Peace: Former NBA Champion with the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Hosts: 

J. Keith van Straaten

Helen Hong

Credits:

Theme Song by Jonathan Green.

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.

Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU!

Thanks so much for your help during the #MaxFunDrive!

J. Keith has some more details on the great things coming that YOU helped make happen!

If you’re a member and want to get more podcast pins along and support a great cause, go to maximumfun.org/pinsale.

Plus, enjoy a collection of some of our greatest moments from over the years that was recently part of a public radio pledge showcase.

Hosts: 

J. Keith van Straaten

Helen Hong

Jim Newman

Credits:

Theme Song by Jonathan Green.

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.

Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU!

This show is supported by our beloved MaxFun Members! To become one yourself as part of the #MaxFunDrive, go to maximumfun.org/join and set up a recurring monthly contribution (or an annual prepay) for as little as $5 a month. Help us make our goal to unlock even more gifts … for YOU!

It’s only $1/month to BOOST your membership too – every little bit helps!

Bruce Vilanch was a guest on episode 124. Some guests struggle to give us three topics they love that they’re willing to be quizzed on. And then there’s Bruce. In this fun and wide-ranging conversation, Bruce tells us about the many other topics that we didn’t cover when he was a guest  – including the Titanic, commercial passenger planes, and the divine Bette Midler.

Hosts: 

J. Keith van Straaten

Helen Hong

Jim Newman

Credits:

Theme Song by Jonathan Green.

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.

Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU!

And of course… maximumfun.org/join!!

This show is supported by our beloved MaxFun Members! To become one yourself as part of the #MaxFunDrive, go to maximumfun.org/join and set up a recurring monthly contribution (or an annual prepay) for as little as $5 a month. Help us make our goal to unlock even more gifts … for YOU!

It’s only $1/month to BOOST your membership too – every little bit helps!

Go Fact Yourself takes a lot of work to put together, including crafting the perfect quiz for our contestants. What would happen if we just took it easy and allowed AI to craft the questions, hints, and fun facts? 

We have J. Keith and Helen step into the contestant chairs to find out! 

Hosts: 

J. Keith van Straaten

Helen Hong

Jim Newman

Credits:

Theme Song by Jonathan Green.

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.

Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU!

And of course… maximumfun.org/join!!

This show is supported by our beloved MaxFun Members! To become one yourself as part of the #MaxFunDrive, go to maximumfun.org/join and set up a recurring monthly contribution (or an annual prepay) for as little as $5 a month. 

That contribution goes directly into making this show possible. In this special mini episode, J. Keith speaks with show director and Go Fact Yourself co-creator Jim Newman.

Jim does a lot of work behind the scenes before the show has even started – booking guests for the show is an intensive process. He’ll shine a light on the bookings that fell through and guests that have really delivered for this trivia podcast. 

Hosts: 

J. Keith van Straaten

Credits:

Theme Song by Jonathan Green.

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.

Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU!

This show is supported by our beloved MaxFun Members! To become one yourself as part of the #MaxFunDrive, go to maximumfun.org/join and set up a recurring monthly contribution (or an annual prepay) for as little as $5 a month. 

No matter what level you join, every MaxFun Member gets access to the most popular gift of all: The Bonus Content Library.

This is a bank of hundreds– maybe even thousands– of hours of bonus episodes from every show across the network. That includes Go Fact Yourself!

In this special preview, you’ll hear clips from just a few of the GFY BoCo collection– including full episodes with MaxFunsters Brea Grant, Clint McElroy and more; GFY success stories where we interview past contestants whose dreams came true because of this show; and the original Go Fact Yourself pilot (which was just released this year!)

Hosts: 

J. Keith van Straaten

Helen Hong

Credits:

Theme Song by Jonathan Green.

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.

Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU!

This show is supported by our beloved MaxFun Members! To become one yourself as part of the #MaxFunDrive, go to maximumfun.org/join and set up a recurring monthly contribution for as little as $5 a month. 

Happy #MaxFunDrive! It’s trivia so fine it’ll blow your mind on a brand new episode of Go Fact Yourself! 

In this episode…

Guests:

Jerry O’Connell got his start as a child actor in the film Stand By Me. His acting career blossomed from there and continued for decades – but now he’s had a second career as an Emmy-nominated TV host. He’ll tell us how that came about after some advice from Kelly Ripa, plus why his dad thought his first film would be a flop. 

Mallory O’Meara is an author and podcaster. She hosts the shows "Reading Glasses" and "Reading Smut" on the MaxFun Network. She’ll tell us all about how both podcasts celebrate book culture in very different ways. Her latest book, Daughter of Daring: The Trick-Riding, Train-Leaping, Road-Racing Life of Helen Gibson, Hollywood’s First Stuntwoman is out now. 

Areas of Expertise

Jerry: 1980s music, 1980s movies, and 1990s Los Angeles news.

Mallory: Haunted house books, werewolf movies, Washington Capitals Hockey from 2019 to the present. 

What’s the Difference: Break the Bank

What’s the difference, in music, between a rest and a break?

What’s the difference between a food bank and a food pantry?

With Guest Experts:

David Naughton: Actor and singer, who starred in the film An American Werewolf in London.

Toni Basil: Award-winning singer, dancer, and choreographer behind the hit song “Oh Mickey.”

Hosts: 

J. Keith van Straaten

Helen Hong

Credits:

Theme Song by Jonathan Green.

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.

Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU!

This show is supported by our beloved MaxFun Members! To become one yourself as part of the #MaxFunDrive, go to maximumfun.org/join and set up a recurring monthly contribution for as little as $5 a month. Or, prepay for the year and get a bonus reward!

J. Keith and Helen share a few updates on the MaxFun Drive, including how to get an autographed baseball card featuring the hosts! 

Plus, Ben Lindbergh from the "Effectively Wild" podcast joins J. Keith's search for a deep dive into very specific baseball trivia that came out of one of our GFY quizzes.

Hosts: 

J. Keith van Straaten

Helen Hong

Credits:

Theme Song by Jonathan Green.

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.

Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU!

It’s not MaxFunDrive without a wild kickoff spectacular! Former real-life VJ and host of MTV's Spring Break 1999, Dave Holmes, takes your favorite MaxFun hosts through some wacky ‘90s- and Spring Break-themed mini games!!

Featuring: Dave Holmes, Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya, Dimitry Pompée, Tom Lum, Ellen Weatherford, Alex Schmidt, Brenda Snell, Drea Clark, Alonso Duralde, Dan McCoy, Jordan Morris, Manolo Moreno, Ella Hubber, Caroline Roper, Ella McLeod, John-Luke Roberts, Justin McElroy, Clint McElroy, Mike Cabellon, Sierra Katow, Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, John Moe, Christian Dueñas, Christian Duguay.