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.

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! And we’ve got a couple of contestants who supported Go Fact Yourself in 2024!

In this episode…

Guests:

Sam Gladston is a professional wrestler who performs for Superkick’d in Toronto. He’ll tell us how he got his start and how body building helped save his life. 

Noelle Sciarini is an email marketing specialist. She’ll tell us the secret to crafting the perfect email that people actually want to click on. Plus, we’ll hear more about how this is the FIRST podcast she’s ever been on!

Both Sam and Noelle were two of the first 100 listeners to support Go Fact Yourself in the 2024 MaxFunDrive.

Areas of Expertise

Sam: The Krakoan era of X-Men, competitive bodybuilding from the late 90s and onwards, witches in media, the movie Labyrinth, and the TV show “Star Trek: Voyager.”

Noelle: 1990s film adaptations of classic books, the TV show “The Great British Bake-off,” the musical The Secret Garden, cross-country running, and word games.

What’s the difference: Rookie Mistake

What’s the difference between a rookie and a beginner?

What’s the difference between a mistake and an error?

With Guest Experts:

Lisa Klink: TV writer, known for her work in the “Star Trek” universe.

Marsha Falco: Game inventor whose games include SET, Karma, and Quiddler.

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!

J. Keith and Helen provide some early details for the MaxFun Drive! Look forward to lots of new episodes in the podcast feed along with tons of contests and giveaways exclusively for those who support Go Fact Yourself.

Starting March 17th, go to Maximumfun.org/jointo become a MaxFun Member and support Go Fact Yourself. 

We’re halfway to an EGOT on this brand new Go Fact Yourself! 

In this episode…

Guests:

Phil Rosenthal is an Emmy-winning writer and producer, who went from producing and writing “Everybody Loves Raymond” to hosting “Somebody Feed Phil” – the Netflix series where he samples cuisine from around the world. He’ll tell us about some of his most memorable dishes.

Sarah Jones is a Tony-winning actor and writer, whose celebrated solo shows involve playing multiple characters – some of whom show up in this recording! Sarah and her characters can be heard on her acclaimed podcast, “America, Who Hurt You?”

Areas of Expertise

Phil: Stanley Kubrick, Hollywood restaurants, and the TV show “The Odd Couple.”

Sarah: 1990s East Coast hip-hop, the origins of New York accents, and dating apps.

 

What’s the difference: Better Safe than Sorry

What’s the difference between a safe and a vault?

What’s the difference between to repent and to atone?

 

With Guest Experts:

Lowell Ganz: Oscar-nominated writer, who’s responsible for more episodes of “The Odd Couple” than anyone else. 

Adam Klugman: Collaborator and son of Jack Klugman, star of “The Odd Couple.”

Big Daddy Kane: Grammy-winning rapper and producer, known for his groundbreaking rhymes.

Spinderella: Grammy-winning DJ, rapper and producer, known for her work as a member of the group Salt-N-Pepa.

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!

You can also hear a different version of our episodes – and play a corresponding trivia quiz – at laist.com/gofactyourself

***New Radio Stations Carrying GFY!***
You can now hear the show LIVE on the radio on NPR stations LAist 89.3 in Southern California, WUTC 88.1 in Chattanooga, WUWM 89.7 in Milwaukee, and KODK 90.7 in Kodiak. Check their respective websites for details on how and when to listen.

LAist Airtimes: Saturdays at 10am & 5pm. Sundays at 8pm. (All times Pacific)

Ask YOUR local NPR station about picking up GFY in your area!