The Reality Check

Our old friend and OG TRC co-host Elan "Origami" Dubrofsky fills in this week for vacationing Darren with a 'skepticool' look at whether the phenomenon known as the "Sophomore Slump" has any truth to it. Pat has some fun trolling the panel with a game of Name That: Darren Edition. Finally, Adam picks apart the data behind recent headlines claiming millennials commit less and 'housewives' commit more adultery.

Happy August, Checkers! This week Adam digs into a recent Pew Research Center study about online harassment to find out if women are more likely to be harassed online than men. Cristina gives us a lesson in Internet Trolling 101 featuring Canadian band Arcade Fire. Finally, Darren determines whether counting between lightning and thunder can really tell you the distance of a storm.

This week Darren gives us an impassioned critical overview of a recent interview on Waking Up with Sam Harris featuring Dilbert creator Scott Adams who makes a case for Trump. Cristina looks into how businesses get their logos on those big blue highway signs and at what cost. Finally, Adam looks at a recent and tragic news story about a Mink farm and reminds us sometimes there are consequences even with the best of intentions.

Pat and Cristina bring you a music themed mashup! First Pat sets the tone with a segment on high fidelity audio players and whether Neil Young's Pono device is as 'righteous' as its name claims. Darren clears the smoke on whether Puff The Magic Dragon is about marijuana. Cristina rings in with a segment about Perfect Pitch.

Darren kicks off this week's show looking into whether seeing the colour of your wine influences your perception of its taste. Cristina digs into the purported health benefits of the latest activated charcoal food trend. Finally, Adam investigates the claim made in a recent History Channel documentary that new photo evidence of Amelia Earhart shows she survived a crash-landing.

This week the crew is joined once again by 'Physics Commando' Barry Panas who challenges us to think about the labels we use to describe what we feel when it comes to force and motion. Pat gives us a food themed game of 'Name That'. Adam checks the numbers on whether it always rains on Canada Day.

Happy Canada Day Checkers! This week, Adam looks into a claim by Anonymous making headlines that NASA is about to announce the discovery of aliens. Inspired by the movie Hidden Figures, Cristina digs into the Matilda Effect and highlights some groundbreaking women scientists who were famously and shamelessly snubbed for their achievements. Finally, after Darren comes down from seeing the new Wonder Woman blockbuster, he explores whether Gal Gadot's paycheque is as unfair as some make it sound.

Producer Pat is joined in the studio by his dog Holden while the rest of the crew has the week off. So, of course, all the topic are about dogs in this mashup episode. Darren digs into headlines that suggest science has confirmed dogs understand us. Cristina paws at rumours that peanut butter may be deadly to dogs. Adam bites into some research suggesting dogs hate hugs. Woof!

On this week's show, Darren takes a closer look at the fuel icon on your car's dashboard. Adam channels his skepticism into fact-checking the various purported claims of Himalayan Salt Lamps. Finally, Cristina cooks up a segment about why 350 degrees is a universal sweet spot.

The weekend is here and so is TRC! First, Pat does an engine check on what would happen if someone put sugar in your gas tank. Darren looks into some big news in the skeptical community regarding the publication of a fake paper in a social science journal. Last, Adam battles rumours that the voice of Sailor Moon is the Japanese voice of Wonder Woman.