Go Fact Yourself

G’day all! It’s a brand new Australia edition of Go Fact Yourself!

Kate Mulvany is best known these days for her role on Amazon Prime’s “Hunters” where she plays a Nazi-hunting nun. But one of her most acclaimed roles was Shakespeare's Richard III. She’ll tell us about why the role was so deeply personal for her and explain why she still gets starstruck after all these years.

Kate’s opponent is Josh Szeps. He’s the host of the podcast “Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps.” He wants his show to be a place that leans into discussions of heady topics like “What’s wrong with men?” and “Am I racist?” but with a sense of honesty and understanding. We’ll hear about some of the hilarious interactions he’s had with guests and the record-setting appearance he had on another game show as a kid. 

Our guests will also answer trivia questions about childhood fandom turning into lifelong passion.

What’s the Difference: Pirates

What’s the difference between “aye” and “aye-aye”?

What’s the difference between a sea song and a sea shanty?

Areas of Expertise:

Josh: Frequent flier programs, the Season 3 finale of the TV show “The West Wing,” and Jerry Seinfeld’s stand-up routine (not the TV show).

Kate: Rasputin’s relationship with the Romanovs, the correct way to eat Vegemite and the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Appearing in this episode:

J. Keith van Straaten

Helen Hong

Kate Mulvany

Josh Szeps

With guest experts:

Mark Nasr, Senior Vice President of Air Canada and the president of its loyalty program.

Nell Campbell, actor and singer whose many credits include playing Columbia in the stage and film version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Go Fact Yourself was devised and produced by Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten, in collaboration with Maximum Fun. 

Theme Song by Jonathan Green.

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.

Associate Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Vaccine-getting by YOU.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact

Off the top rope for the three count fall, it’s the reigning defending champion of trivia: Go Fact Yourself!

Colt Cabana is a professional wrestler who appears every week on All Elite Wrestling on TNT. Wrestling is a little different in the middle of a pandemic; but even though he can’t be in front of a crowd much, he’s found other ways to keep his audience engaged. He’ll tell us all about that and why his mother thinks of him as the “Hebrew Hunk” of wrestling.

Colt takes on a fellow TV personality: Emmy-winning TV host Sukanya Krishnan. Her first day on a job was covering one of the most significant events of the last 20 years: the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But not all of her work is so serious: one of her latest projects is being the host of game show “90 Day Fiance: Love Games” on Discovery Plus -- a show J. Keith wrote!

Our guests will also talk about ‘80s hits (music and movies) and winning gold (championships and Grammys).

What’s the Difference: Weather or Not

What’s the difference between weathering and erosion?

What’s the difference between fog and haze?

Areas of Expertise:

Colt: The 1989 Chicago Cubs, First Amendment audits and the movie Over The Top.

Sukanya: 1970s and 1980s TV sitcom themes, Whitney Houston trivia and Spanish slang

Appearing in this episode:

J. Keith van Straaten

Helen Hong

Colt Cabana

Sukanya Krishnan

With guest experts:

Steve Dorff, member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame who had #1 hit tracks across four decades.

David Mendenhall, award-winning actor, producer and entertainment attorney with over 50 film credits -- including Over the Top.

Go Fact Yourself was devised and produced by Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten, in collaboration with Maximum Fun. 

Theme Song by Jonathan Green.

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.

Associate Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Vaccine-getting by YOU.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact

Get settled on the couch and grab some snacks: it’s another “Best Of” edition of Go Fact Yourself!

As we all were stuck inside for most of the past year, TV was one of the only sources of entertainment that didn’t go away. We’ve collected some of our favorite contestants from the early episodes of the show who chose TV shows as their area of expertise.

You’ll hear from tons of great guests like Cristela Alonzo, Pete Holmes and many more, as they talk about shows like “Mad Men,” “The Golden Girls,” and “Jeopardy.” Happy binging!

Appearing in this episode:

J. Keith van Straaten

Helen Hong

Cristela Alonzo from Episode 4

Pete Holmes from Episode 9

Louis Virtel from Episode 17

Alison Rosen from Episode 24

Glen Weldon from Episode 27

With guest experts:

Jim Colucci, Entertainment writer, radio reporter, editor at CBS Watch magazine and author of Golden Girls Forever.

Allan Havey, actor and comedian, from “Mad Men.”

Jerome Vered, writer and all-time winner of “Jeopardy.”

Gloria Loring, actror and singer-songwriter from “The Facts of Life.”

Brian Firkus actor, singer and embodiment of drag-queen Trixie Mattel.

Go Fact Yourself was devised and produced by Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten, in collaboration with Maximum Fun. 

Theme Song by Jonathan Green.

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.

Associate Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Mask-wearing and vaccine-getting by YOU.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact

Make sure to listen to our second pledge break for a very special announcement that could put YOU on an episode of GFY...

It’s all about that classic trio of music, movies and medicine this week on our second #MaxFunDrive episode of Go Fact Yourself!

Justin McElroy’s podcast career spans multiple shows including the hugely popular “My Brother, My Brother and Me,” and “The Adventure Zone.” Through it all, he’s never lost sight of the things he owes his career to: a lifetime of insulting his brothers and the recently shut down Yahoo Answers service.

Justin will compete against his wife Dr. Sydnee McElroy. She shows off her medical expertise on the podcast “Sawbones” (which she hosts with Justin!) and “Still Buffering” (which she hosts with her siblings). Sydnee’s also asked to display her knowledge in other unconventional places… mainly at family functions and to strangers who want her to check their moles. 

This episode is a special Max Fun Drive edition of trivia competition. To become a Max Fun Member and support Go Fact Yourself for as little as $5 a month, go to Maximumfun.org/join

What’s the difference: Oh Rob!

What’s the difference between a robbery and a burglary?

What’s the difference between rob and steal?

Areas of Expertise

Justin McElroy: Wood working, the show Sleep No More and the band They Might Be Giants

Sydnee McElroy: Archie comics, the movie Grease 2 and making slime

Appearing in this episode:

J. Keith van Straaten

Helen Hong

Justin McElroy

Dr. Sydnee McElroy

With guest experts:

Maxwell Caulfield, actor and filmmaker with dozens of credits across Broadway, TV and film -- including Grease 2.

John Linnell, founder of Brooklyn alternative rock legends They Might Be Giants.

Go Fact Yourself was devised and produced by Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten, in collaboration with Maximum Fun. 

Theme Song by Jonathan Green.

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.

Associate Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Mask-wearing and vaccine-getting by YOU.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact

Go Fact Yourself is joining forces with Politifact for the United Facts of America -- a (virtual) festival of fact checking -- May 10-13. To get 30% off tickets to the event and to see a special video edition of Go Fact Yourself, visit bit.ly/FactsFest and enter the promo code “FACTS2021” at checkout.

And… make sure to listen to our second pledge break for a very special announcement that could put YOU on an episode of GFY...

Whether you want to sing about Summer lovin’ or the Big Bang, we’ve got you covered on this special #MaxFunDrive episode of Go Fact Yourself!

Dave Shumka is one of the hosts of Maximum Fun’s “Stop Podcasting Yourself,” which has been around for 13 years. While things have certainly changed in the world of podcasting, Dave says their longevity can be attributed to their show’s vague initial premise of “bland white people.”

Dave’s opponent is Laura House, the voice behind one of Maximum Fun’s newest shows, “Tiny Victories.” The show is meant to be a celebration of the little things in life. Laura will explain how the podcast is a reflection of a mindset that she tries to bring into the real world. 

This episode is a special Max Fun Drive edition of trivia competition. To become a Max Fun Member and support Go Fact Yourself for as little as $5 a month, go to Maximumfun.org/join

What’s the difference: The Greenhouse Effect

What’s the difference between a greenhouse and a hothouse?

What’s the difference between “effective” and “efficacious” when referring to vaccines?

Areas of Expertise:

Dave Shumka: Erotic thrillers, 1990’s Canadian popular music and Dairy Queen

Lauar House: The movie Grease, The movie Grease 2 and Gothic English literature

Appearing in this episode:

J. Keith van Straaten

Helen Hong

Dave Shumka

Laura House

With guest experts:

Tyler Stewart, drummer for the band Barenaked Ladies.

Randal Kleiser, director of the film Grease.

Go Fact Yourself was devised and produced by Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten, in collaboration with Maximum Fun. 

Theme Song by Jonathan Green.

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.

Associate Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Mask-wearing and vaccine-getting by YOU.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact

Sing a Broadway hit from your favorite local landmark and get ready for the newest episode of Go Fact Yourself!

Lewis Black is famous for his brand of curmudgeonly comedy. He’s been a constant presence on “The Daily Show” since it was hosted by Craig Kilborn. But despite that tenure, people are still surprised to learn that he remains part of the show now that it’s hosted by Trevor Noah. He’ll tell about how his role has changed over the years and how he got his Emmy for an unexpected reason. Lewis’s comedy special “Thanks for Risking Your Life” is available now.

Helen Zaltzman is a podcaster of the highest order. She’s the host of “The Allusionist” and “Veronica Mars Investigations.” In addition to hosting her own shows, she also does her best to provide assistance to her peers with her podcaster support group. She’ll tell us about that and why her grandmother’s gravestone is one of the funniest things she’s ever seen.

Our guests will answer trivia questions about big windmills for small towns and big stage roles for small meows.

What’s the difference: thyme of the season

What’s the difference between an herb and a spice?

What’s the difference between seasoning and flavoring?

Areas of Expertise:

Lewis Black: 1960’s Broadway, the film Dr. Strangelove and reasons not to practice Judaism

Helen Zaltzman: Old English riddles, themed towns in the United States and the TV show “Naked and Afraid

Appearing in this episode:

J. Keith van Straaten

Helen Hong

Lewis Black

Helen Zaltzman

With guest experts:

Charlie Uhrig, mayor of Solvang, California

Betty Buckley, Tony award-winner known as “The Voice of Broadway”

Go Fact Yourself was devised and produced by Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten, in collaboration with Maximum Fun. 

Theme Song by Jonathan Green.

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.

Associate Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Mask-wearing and vaccine-getting by YOU.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact

Grab a roundtrip ticket and go for the gold, it's a brand new episode of Go Fact Yourself!

Heidi Gardner is a cast member of “Saturday Night Live,” known for her kooky characters and celebrity impressions. Now that she’s in her fourth season with the show, she’s experienced it all. That includes some celebrity encounters with people she’s imitated on TV. 

Orlando Leyba is a stand up comedian. Between his appearances on "The Tonight Show" and his new special "Adorable," he has one goal with his comedy: to radiate joy. He’ll tell us about how that mission has led him through a fun career path...and some bizarre encounters with fans. “Adorable” is streaming now on HBO Max. 

Our guests will answer trivia questions about ice skating, flight taking and code breaking!

What’s the difference: Code of Conduct

What’s the difference between a cipher and a code?

What’s the difference between a train engineer and a train conductor?

Areas of Expertise:

Heidi Gardner: Figure skating, the 1992 Olympic “Dream Team” and the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

Orlando: Airline travel hacks, the TV show “Fixer Upper” and how to make fluffy eggs.

Appearing in this episode:

J. Keith van Straaten

Helen Hong

Orlando Leyba

Heidi Gardner

With guest experts:

Gary Leff, author of the popular travel blog “View from the Wing” and co-founder of insideflyer.com.

Tara Lipinski, member of the U.S. figure skating Hall of Fame who won the gold medal at the 1998 Olympics.  

Go Fact Yourself was devised and produced by Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten, in collaboration with Maximum Fun. 

Theme Song by Jonathan Green.

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.

Associate Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Mask-wearing and vaccine-getting by YOU.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact

This episode is sponsored in part by Cancer Support Community Los Angeles and their fundraising comedy game show, “Funny On Purpose” -- hosted by J. Keith! Featuring scheduled guests (and former GFY guests) Ophira Eisenberg, Laraine Newman, Mindy Sterling and more! Go to http://bit.ly/FunnyonPurpose to watch the show on April 1!

You’ve been served some out-of-the park trivia on the newest episode of Go Fact Yourself! 

Jason Benetti is the play-by-play announcer for the Chicago White Sox, and Jason had a firsthand look at the strangest baseball season in history. Even though there weren’t any crowds, each game did showcase some not-safe-for-work dialogue from the players. Jason will tell us some of the ways he managed to cover that up for viewers and what it was like calling a no-hitter in an empty stadium. 

Jason’s competitor is Liz Feldman, an Emmy award-winning writer who’s worked in comedy for years. Now, she’s reached new career highs with the Netflix series “Dead to Me.” She’ll tell us all about why she’s decided to wap the show up in its third season and how she came up with the concept after a pitch meeting that was severely lacking in La Croix flavors.

Our guests will answer questions about restaurants, shyness and comedy that involves puppies and courtrooms.

What’s the difference: I Have Reservations

What’s the difference between a reservation and an appointment?

What’s the difference between someone who is reserved and someone who is shy?

Areas of Expertise:

Jason Benetti: The book Infinite Jest, the TV show “Survivor” and the film Best in Show.

Liz Feldman: The current LA Dodgers, NBC Sitcoms of the 1980s and famous lesbians.

Appearing in this episode:

J. Keith van Straaten

Helen Hong

Liz Feldman

Jason Benetti.

With guest experts:

Michael Hitchcock, actor, writer and producer who’s appeared in all of Christopher Guest’s improvised films.

Marsha Warfield, comedian and actor whose career spans four decades. 

Go Fact Yourself was devised and produced by Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten, in collaboration with Maximum Fun. 

Theme Song by Jonathan Green.

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.

Associate Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Mask wearing by YOU.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact

**J. Keith is running for office! If you live in Los Angeles, please check out the Progressive Slate he’s on for Mid City West Neighborhood Council at mcw2021.com! Register for your ballot by March 9 and mail it in by March 16**

Sing a song, watch a movie and let it go on this brand new Go Fact Yourself!

Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez are an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony-winning songwriting couple. They’re best known for music they’ve made for Disney movies, including Frozen and Coco -- and now the theme music for “WandaVision!”

They’ll give us a crash course on how they’ve written such memorable songs over the years -- everything from deciding which story beats demand to be sung to how to incorporate math into dramatic lyrics.

This will be a couples contest for questions on commercials, constipation and comedy.

What’s the difference: Number Two

What’s the difference between the name suffixes “Jr.” and “II”?

What’s the difference between a laxative and a stool softener?

Areas of Expertise

Kristen Anderson-Lopez: Religious musicals from the 1970s and 1980s, TV commercial jingles that aired in the tri-state area from 1981 to 1986 and Symptoms of schizophrenia.

Robert Lopez: The TV show “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” The making of the film The Godfather and The history of hamburgers.

Appearing in this episode:

J. Keith van Straaten

Helen Hong

Robert Lopez

Kristen Anderson-Lopez

With guest experts:

Lynn Ahrens, Tony-winning songwriter whose career highlights include TV’s “Schoolhouse Rock,” Broadway’s Ragtime and dozens of commercial jingles.

Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff, Peabody-winning writer/performers from “Mystery Science Theater 3000.”

Go Fact Yourself was devised and produced by Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten, in collaboration with Maximum Fun. 

Theme Song by Jonathan Green.

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.

Associate Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Mask wearing by YOU.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact

Head to Tosche station and make a stop at the royal palace, it's a new episode of Go Fact Yourself!

Yeardley Smith has been the voice of Lisa Simpson since 1989. Yeardley’s normal voice actually sounds very similar to the voice of her famous character, but she’ll explain the subtle ways that it’s changed over the years. You can hear Yeardley on “The Simpsons” and on the true crime podcast “Small Town Dicks.” Plus, she was an expert on episode 57 of Go Fact Yourself!

Ryan Kalil is a ten-year veteran of the NFL. He played center for the Carolina Panthers for most of his career. Even though he’s spent most of his life as an athlete, his early passions were steeped in pop culture and comedy. He’ll tell us about how his love for superheroes led to him becoming a jock. Ryan is also the founder of the production company Mortal Media.

Our guests will answer questions about the dark side of the force, the strong side of sports and the Walt Disney family of entertainment.

What’s the difference: Tinder and Bumble

What’s the difference between tinder and kindling?

What’s the difference between “bumble” and “fumble”?

Areas of Expertise:

Yeardley Smith: Cooking, knitting and Princess Diana 

Ryan Kalil: The life and work of Walt Disney, The movie The Rocketeer and The original Star Wars trilogy.

Appearing in this episode:

J. Keith van Straaten

Helen Hong

Yeardley Smith

Ryan Kalil

With guest experts:

Ingrid Seward, writer of 18 books on the royal family and the editor of “Majesty Magazine.”

Anthony Daniels, actor best known for playing the role of C-3PO in the Star Wars films. 

Go Fact Yourself was devised and produced by Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten, in collaboration with Maximum Fun. 

Theme Song by Jonathan Green

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher

Associate Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Mask wearing by YOU.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact