Are you yearning for yuletide yapping? Then join us at the trivia table and keep your brain fresh with a jolt of holiday quizzing! Colin gets super experimental this episode and debuts a new game segment "30 SECONDS TO GLORY"!, a whole Christmas music round, famous people anagram challenge, and test your holiday IQ.

ALSO: "12 Days of GJB Christmas" as performed by our own Chris Kohler

ARE YOU READY FOR HOLIDAY EATAPALOOZA?!?!??!! Let us whet your appetite with scrumptious facts and trivia about holiday foods and eating traditions. Why does fruitcake have the most pathetic loser rep? Chris drenches us with the colorful and pungent origins of the fruitcake, who knew this poop-looking brick had such a wonderful stamp in history? Take the Goose/Ham/Turkey challenge to find out who's the real MEAT HEAD. We all become envious of Japan after learning about their Christmas tradition, and it's finger-lickin' good. And of course, the international phenomenon of the cursed HANGOVER - find out what actually is happening to your body after a night of drinking and other boozy facts.

Shazam! Presto! Prepare to be amazed by origin stories, facts, and trivia about MAGIC. Chris tries to dazzle us (and YOU, the listener) with aural magic tricks. Find out why his mind-reading tricks work. Take our quiz about the magical products all around us. Open Sesame! Abracadabra! Hocus pocus! Find out how and why these magic phrases came to be. We all have heard about Harry Houdini and his great magical escape feats but did you know he was an avid mythbuster and skeptic? Oh yeah, and his on-and-off friendship with Arthur Conan Doyle. Dramaaaa.

Also: poop dust

Scooch closer niblings, avuncles, and brother-uterines because it's time for a family reunion! We tip our hats to trivia and juicy facts all about families as we inch closer to the holidays. Eldmother? Belsire? Take Dana's specific family member vocab challenge! Learn what it was really like for family households back in the history times (hint: VERY AWKWARD), TV family sitcoms, animal family names, and a very familial Music Round.

ALSO: Listener Brad Pitt or Lasers, special thanks to our families

La la la laaaaaaaaaa~ We explore the world of voice and speech. Learn about the history of "the robot voice" and the crazy machines that made synthesized speech possible, we turn into Munchkins and find out why helium makes your voice squeaky, famous speeches every pub trivia team needs to know, and how to speak Australian!

ALSO: Congrats Rob!

Watch out for those whizzing quizzes - it's time for our hodge podge of random quizzes to keep your brain in tip-top pub trivia shape: lightning round of women who RROOOCCKKKK (not lady geologists), and time to play a round of  "Hey, Where'd You Get That Cheese?", Chris got his Thanksgiving menu all mixed up, How to Know Your Dragons, and movie director credit challenge!

 

DO THE SAFETY DANCE! Facts and trivia about keeping you safe. Remember those (super annoying) automatic safety belts that were build into a track along the car door? What happened to them and how did they came about? Having a hard time opening medicine bottles? Well, Chris has quite the story for you on child-proof packaging and how scientists test their safety. Learn about the mesmerizing and magical history of bulletproof vests and why it works. Karen's just "plane crazy" about all the seemingly fun (but important!) stuff in airplane safety videos.

Darn you whippersnappers, get off our lawn! This week we celebrate the old, out-dated, and obsolete things in the past. Meet the mysterious saltpeter man from the days of yore whose job totally....stinks. Old name quiz, and what happened a year ago? What about 50 years ago? Journey through time with Dana's year span quiz. Beep, beep, beep- the riveting rise and fall of beepers and pagers. And revel in modern music in old prose with the return of William Fakespeare.

Sugar up *your* skulls with our Halloween trivia-riffic episode filled with brain candy: vampires vaahhhnt to suck your blaaahhhhhd, but why do they hate garlic? Who's Ben Cooper and why should you thank him for your crappy childhood costume? Take our Halloween TV episode title quiz, and a horror movie challenge, and learn about how Halloween came to be.

(Please share your crappy childhood costumes in the comments on our site.)

ALSO: 1960's Jeopardy!

The library is open for an epic mega-nerd sesh as we jam out to trivia and quizzes about books. Earn your book club gold stars with the return of Dana's "Ya Burnt" segment - can you name the classic children's book by their haterade one-star review? Chris plays appraisor again talking cold, hard, cash - the most expensive books on the planet. Sneaky authors and their literary anagrams, book facts, and the incredulous ways people stored books in the olden days.

ALSO: @WordsAreSoWeird, NY's official state snack

Put on your hightops, sip on some Hi-C, and snack on some Hydrox because we're going high speedin' down that super highway of information. In this hodgepodge quiz episode, Chris gets stately with some very strange official state whats-its, and find out what state is the only one to have an "official state flavor." FUN? ZZ? Karen gives the gang some financial know-how with a punny stock symbol quiz. People have been trying to tell the future using the weirdest things - take Dana's divination quiz and find out. And Colin gets a blast from the past and challenges us in a round of "Have You Ever Noticed?"

Chris is back and and has a new spawn! What better way to celebrate his new fatherhood than having an episode dedicated to dad-dom. Take the Dad Jokes challenge and see how many eye-rollingly cheesy dad jokes have you had the (dis)pleasure of hearing in your lifetime? Paternal puzzles and probs, and weird dads of the animal kingdom. And a Music Round of lyrical odes to fathers and sons.

ALSO: Cotton candy grapes, Um Actually, @WordsAreSoWeird

Vegetables are filled with nutrients but they're also chock-full of weird, weird, weird trivia. Find out why the odd history behind why we associate carrots with the color orange, and what vegetable looks like a severed human head. Quiz about two funny-sounding veggies: the artichoke and the rutabaga, and the common misconceptions and origin stories behind the jack-o-lantern. 

ALSO: CHRIS KOHLER BABY WATCH 2014, weird new words that just got added to the Scrabble dictionary

 

Ah, the outdoors! Fresh air, lucious greenery, and..... a million things that will try to kill you. So pack up your think and let's head up the summit of outdoors trivia: what to do when killer bees attack? Or when a shark is circling around you? Find out the real way to deal with animal encounters. (Spoiler: yes, movies and TV have been lying to us.) Folk mnemonics, the origin of the Swiss Army Knife, and the very dramatic and weird life of a deer tick. And let's feast on the science behind freeze-dried foods, and we do a live taste test of some of the weirdest camp foods out there.

We want you to share your brilliant ideas and creations with the GJB universe! We're calling for listener audio submissions, and inviting you to make a GJB bumper ad. We might just use yours on the show. Be silly! Be theatrical! Be positive! Be brainy! The sky's the limit. And for a behind-the-scenes look, check out our never-aired bumper skit we made for fun. It's weird.

You can email us your GJB bumper ad masterpiece to gjb.podcast@gmail.com. And we're back next week with a full episode brimming with our usual trivia and maybe poo facts.

 

MOVERS & SHAKERS, this one's for you! Ever wondered about the things you bring with you when you're on the go? We share quizzes, trivia, and history about some iconic portable necessities: how the Nintendo Game Boy ruled the world and the genius behind it, we sure love our beverages and Colin's got a quiz about drinks on the go. And of course, FOOD - trivia about Chinese takeout, and the brilliant model of the fast food drive-through window. After you digest that food on the go, maybe stop by a portapottie? Because Dana has a whole quiz on THAT. Of course.

I think we figured out our ninja turtle equals. Colin, our no-nonsense Leonardo decided to embarrass us with a quiz about British sayings. Nappy? Agony Aunt? Listen to our attempt to mind the American-British gap. And let's play another round of "BRAD PITT? OR LASERS?!" Dana, our brainy Donatello takes us into the world of cheesily-titled Lifetime movies, and a quiz about famous Freds. Chris, our cool but rude Raphael, throws abbreviation puzzles at us, and challenge us to an alliterative "Movie Moniker" game. And Karen, the party-hearty Michelangelo has some questions about honest slogans about famous brands.

It is finally time to talk about.... the butt. Yes. Butt trivia and butt facts and butt quizzes. We dive into the history of butt words, and some origins may surprise you! And Chris finds the most beautiful booty in classical art that has been mesmerizing people for centuries. Our very serious problem with a specific butt hole, and of course, J Lo. Did she insure her behind? What does that mean to insure a butt?

ALSO: The Lion's Share jackpot finally hit!

Get yourself some popcorn and fake butter topping and get ready for an episode all about the silver screen! Like easter eggs? Then you'll love learning about the most famous and popular sound effect that appears in almost every major film. Dana's got a film crew quiz, and Chris brings back a movie quote challenge (this time, it's not a trick!). Ever heard of TRANSMORPHERS? Or ATLANTIC RIM? Karen dives into the weird world of "mockbusters." And in the early days of Hollywood, how did they move from silent movies to talkies? And take Colin's "I Know That Guy!" actor challenge.

 

1, 2, 3, 4, I don't know what I've been told! 5, 6, 7, 8, Good Job, Brain is on a roll! Why, with quizzes and weird facts about military life, of course. Discover the fully packed history of canned foods and how we have Napoleon to thank. From cereal mascot to comic book hero, let's see how many fictional military characters do you know in Dana's lightning round quiz. We dive into famous everyday items that were developed for the military, and how pigeons used to reign the battle-strewn skies. And attention GIs, pack your MREs on that VTOL while navigating through Colin's military acronym challenge. 

Let's face it, we all heart the internet, so this week, we are jamming pub-quiz-worthy webby facts into the tubes to your brain. Learn about the history behind the @ symbol and how it became synonymous with email, and find out where salad.com and coffee.com take you, along with other generic URLs that cleverly redirects you to some of the top brands and companies. Take the country domain quiz, and just how email savvy are you?

ALSO: 1960's Jeopardy!

Alright you Quiztina Aguileras and Equizabeth Taylors, it's time for another all quiz episode! Chris has word puzzles on his mind inspired by The Maze of Games - see if you can find the hidden arcade games hidden in the story. Dana tests us on knowledge about our own bodies in an anatomy challenge. Colin follows the rule of threes in his missing trio quiz while Karen tests the gang about the language origins of famous brand names. And strap on your seat belts because we debut a new music segment, "SLOW DOWN, LADY!" 

ALSO: Mott & Bow, Hawaiian coconut bras

Please put your seat back in the full upright position, and your tray table up as we're about to take off into this travel-themed episode! Discover the strange origin of passenger air travel and exactly what you had to do to "fly" from New York City to Los Angeles. Dana's got space tourism on top of mind and Chris mapped out some funky destinations but it's all jumbled up in his anagram segment. Are you a world traveller? Then you'll probably ace the airport code quiz, and our lonely island challenge. ALSO: Aussies rule!

Hope your ear aren't lactose intolerant because this week it's all about the wacky fact-filled world of dairy. Find out how music helps cow produce more milk - and just what kind of music gets them into the mood? Weird trivia about breast milk and why "nipple" is a funny word. Dana falls into a wiki cheese hole, while Colin gulps down the history of the milk container. And no, mice actually don't usually go for cheese.

ALSO: Solution to our Music Puzzle Challenge

It's a minisode this week and boy, do we have a challenge for your ear holes! See if you can solve this special music puzzle and maybe, you might win yourself some GJB goodies.

EXTREME!!! Pull out your Dunkaroos and dive into the artificially colored frosting of 90's trivia: fads, foods, music and more! 90's snack food facts, Ninja turtles, and famous firsts in TV, movies, and world news. Slap on some knowledge about the invention and science behind the slap bracelet. And walk down memory lane as we discuss the omnipresent activist ribbon explosion, and the Y2K hysteria. And test your pop knowledge with the ultimate boy band quiz.

Keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle as we freefall into a bumpy ride of amusement park trivia. Rides, food, parks and more! Chris is back from the press preview event of the new addition to the Harry Potter theme park in Orlando, and tells us all about the tricks and technology in this new era of amusement parks. Karen shares her very extensive rollercoaster experience and how binaural sound almost made her pee. And it's time for a round of "ROLLERCOASTER? Or HEAVY METAL ALBUM?" And whet your appetite with the amusement park food invention quiz. 

Also: Clam the clam.

Listen up all you Joey Triviannis and Trivia Newton Johns - are you ready for another quiz-filled scrumptious audio eclair?! In our All Quiz #23, we zoom from fantasy (Chris' Harry Potter and the Wiki Hole quiz in preparation for his press junket for the opening of Diagon Alley in Universal Studios Orlando) to current events (Colin's quick World Cup primer). Dana found some relaly weird name origins behind famous bands, and it's us against Google in our auto-complete game show challenge. And E.L.V.I.S. is back!

ALSO: Pressure quiz

Continuing our 2-part celebration of pub trivia! Sharing our own stories and tips from our own pub quiz experience, and lamenting our topic weaknesses. And of course, what we think are common topics to know: videogame firsts, US States, and an extremely punny mnemonic that helps you memorize the 12 gods of Mount Olympus, their Greek + Roman names, and their domain. 

ALSO: Pub food factoids (WHY ARE SAUSAGES CALLED BANGERS?!)

OUR TRIVIA SECRETS REVEALED! This week, we are celebrating pub trivia by sharing our stories, our strategies, and our tips in hopes to help YOU score big at your local. Find out what topics to study, and how to settle answer disputes. Take Karen's geography quiz, and if you're not a sports person, then let Colin help you with some handy sportsball facts to arm your trivia arsenal. We also dive into the origin of pub trivia and general nuggest about pub culture. 

Also: Our Lando Squarespace ode

 

We give you the 001101000011000100110001 on the puzzling history and facts about codes, and hidden meanings! This origin story of the Enigma machine, code name quiz, and what the foxtrot is up with the NATO alphabet? Learn how James Brown, Beethoven, and Johnny Cash share a cryptic connection. And sit by the counter with a cup of joe and whistleberries so Chris can serve up the tasty (and weird) history behind coded American diner lingo. 

ALSO: Lynda's Graduation quiz

You asked for it, and here it is - our episode about the sizzling world of names and nomenclature. RAWR! Learn about the Pinocchio Rex and other goofy (but real!) dinosaur names and origins. Can you identify movies from their initial or secret working titles? We also have funky trivia about NBA team names, movie sequels, and brand name translations. Are you sitting on a POÄNG while watching TV on a BESTÅ? Discover the weird world of the IKEA naming system. JA!

ALSO: Gremlins II

 

Replenish your smarts with some brainor-ade in this all-quiz show! Colin tests us to see if we know our acronyms, and takes us hopping around the nation with a city name quiz. Dana's been snooping around Amazon and made a game about hilariously punny celebrity autobiography book titles. Take the "The Pen is Not Mightier Than the Sword" challenge and see how well you know your famous fictional swords. And Karen's back to embarrass the others by forcing them to answer in the form of an impression in her celebrity quiz. 

ALSO: Boardgames, AND. THE. RETURN. OF. BELGIUM? OR NOT BELGIUM?

 

Pick up your shovel and get ready to dig into the world of hidden and buried treasure! Uncover facts behind the fictional golden city of El Dorado, the secrets behind Al Capone's "hotel," the real inspiration behind pirate treasure maps, and what would YOU put in a time capsule representing 2014? And just how well do you know your treasure-hunting movies? Chris is back from the desert and has a first-hand report on the legendary video game mystery of the famed Atari digsite!

ALSO: Exploding whale updates

BIG NEWS! Chris is going to be a dad! We're celebrating his big news with an episode filled with facts and quizzes about babys, kids, and one nightmare animal. Grab a train ticket to Whoville for Chris' Dr Seuss quiz, and learn how Target uses the magic of data to know when you're pregnant before anybody else. Dana reminds us that we are the worst at Oscars superlatives in her young Oscars quiz. Colin has a lullaby rock cover music round, and Karen shares some cool names for baby animals. And as promised, one nightmare animal.

ALSO: Harry's shaving mini quiz

Cha-ching! A whole episode about trivia and sizzling facts about shopping?! CHARGE IT. We buzz about the Lincoln shopping secret, 99-cent pricing, how supermarkets trick you into buying more, and where did those WACKY WAVING INFLATABLE ARM FLAILING TUBE MAN things you see infront of retail lots come from?! Get savvy with shopping in the department store quiz, and learn about how the iconic shopping cart came to be.

ALSO: Easter eggs, Brainiacs' Book Club

Put on your party hats and loosen up that belt for some cake because we're nerding out about parties this week! Festive facts and celebratory stories about party rituals, inventions and more: Shakespeare Goes to a House Party music quiz, etymology of party words, Dana finds the first examples of party balloons (and it's gross), Karen wants to climb the traditional ham pole of Spain's La Tomatina tomato-throwing festival, and Colin explores the weird ritual of having live birds fly out of pies. 

ALSO: GJB listener John wrote us an "Um, Actually..." theme song!

Keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle because we're about to blast you off to BRAIN TOWN with an all quiz episode. It's time to play another installment of "BRAD PITT?...OR LASER?" and those who miss E.L.V.I.S.' soothing metallic voice are in luck because he's back crooning his favorite opening lines of famous songs. Our minds melted during Dana's pregnancy/baby test, and Chris shows some love to the cat people with a quiz about fictional cats. And see if you can identify these earworm rock songs in reverse!

ALSO: Tia/Tamara Mowry mnemonic, Disney's secret unbuilt thrill ride

The left-handed burger? Trees that grow spaghetti? Celebrate April Fools' Day with us by learning some of the redonkulous trivia behind pranks and hoaxes. Colin regales us with the history behind iconic novelty gags like the Whoopee Cushion, Joy Buzzer, and the Snake Nut Can. Dana impresses us with the Mechanical Turk hoax, and Chris sets off to find out about the origin of April Fools. Karen emits some facts about fart humor (and an accompanying fart quiz), and are you up for the celebrity death hoax challenge?

ALSO: Colin's Takedown, Our Patreon Debut!

Time to face off with facts about your FACE. Chris explores the things in your face, (specifically, up your nostrils) in his dedicated booger segment. Seeing Virgin Mary on your grilled cheese sandwiches? Or seeing fiesty drunk octopodes in bathrooms? Karen offers up a quiz about the psychological phenomenon of interpreting faces. Colin dots this episode with the plump facts about moles. Take our idiom challenge, and learn about the secrets of blurring faces (and butt cracks) on TV.

ALSO: Carmin San Mateo, 3-eyed animals

Turbo charge your ear-holes with our episode about things speedy, fast, and instant. Find out about the weird origin of FedEx (hint: it involved some Las Vegas craziness). And exactly fast are the fastest things in the world? Play our Price-Is-Right speed test, and can you hold on to this FAST word puzzle? Colin captivates us with the wacky and illegal world of coast-to-coast racing. And what actually makes instant noodles instant? 

ALSO: Carmin San Mateo, Lobetrotter

You can be our wingman anytime.

Ah yes, the "Um, Actually..." - a phrase in every trivia fan's utility belt. We dedicate the whole episode to the culture of corrections, misquoted facts, and nerdery. It's time to load up your trivia ammo! Colin schools EVERYONE on a misused vocabulary quiz, and Chris shares how we've been doing things wrong in the kitchen. Dana's snoops around Snopes.com, and blows our mind about blood. Karen finds out where words like "nerd" and "dweeb" come from.

ALSO: Good Job, BRIAN! quiz, Carmin San Mateo, Lobetrotter

Lots of festivity in our 2nd anniversary and 100th episode! We're celebrating this milestone by celebrating...YOU. Warm up your hearts with listener messages and questions sprinkled throughout the show. And warm up your brains with some tricky quizzes: Chris gets animated in his movie round, Nerak's got a weird word elzzup, Colin has 100 on the mind, and Dana needs help with change. And can you identify these classic literary works by their 1-star Amazon reviews?

ALSO: Music Round, New Zealand Challenge, and a visit from a familiar face voice

Our wallets may be a little lighter but we're winning big in titillating facts and trivia about Sin City. Did you know before Super Mario and Zelda, Nintendo had a Vegas connection? Colin obsesses over blackjack and the history of card-counting, and Dana's got a celebrity quiz about quicky weddings. Karen answers some of her burning questions about playing cards and Chris shares hotel facts that might literally shock you.

May luck be a lady tonight! We're actually in Las Vegas this week - so be prepared for a jackpot of shiny facts about gambling, hotels, games, Hoover Dam, and more. Chris gets clever with a hotel name puzzle quiz, and Karen checks in to ridiculously themed Vegas hotel that (luckily) never got built. Find out what those cherries and BARs on slot machines really mean, and Dana's dips into a grab bag of trivia bites about this sparkly town. And see if you know your gamblin' games.

ALSO: The Tonight Show top list, and the hotels of our dreams

It's a free-for-all this week as we decided to bring out own topics for this episode. So naturally, it's a nutty grab bag of some jaw-dropping trivia. Where else can you learn about the birth of the smiley emoticon, how to grow a pineapple in your own house, the jellyfish that is IMMORTAL, and why do people call the Academy Award "Oscar." So bust out your suspenders because this week is crazy pants.

ALSO: Immortality quiz, Hawaiian mystery candy

Bust out your monacle, twirl up that 'stache, and stroke your reaky hairless cat because it's time to get evil. This week, we're headed to our secret island lair to celebrate trivia about villains. Where did the word come from? And we all know that the butler did it, but who was the first butler to actually do it? Colin discovers the real Goldfinger behind James Bond lore, and Dana makes us do impressions for her villain catchphrase quiz. Karen keeps the bat at bay with a quiz about ridiculous Batman villains.

ALSO: E.L.V.I.S. is back!, Lobetrotter trivia

We all made quizzes that are a little wackier and more off-the-beaten path this week! Colin hosts a round of "BRAD PITT.....OR LASERS?!" and quizzes us on famous things named after a who, a what, or a where. Dana treats us to some dangerously tasting traditional candy from Sweden while we try to guess the flavor. Karen invites everyone to explore American regional dialects with a vocab test, and Chris came up with questions about strange airline facts while on an airplane. ALSO: Karen tells the classic tale, "How My Mom Got Punched in the Face."

Orange you glad we're back for more in 2014? We put fruit facts into the limelight this week and cherry-picked some pretty juicy trivia. Colin gets to the core of fruit name origins, Chris grapples with a hybrid fruit challenge, and Karen puckers up to the miracle fruit. And don't just split yet, Dana's got an a-peeling quiz about bananas. It's a fruit party, so we're all raisin the roof.

ALSO: Lynda.com teacher quiz, tweeting sharks

Bit of trivia and a quiz this week in this mini episode. New year, new announcements, same bat time, same bat channel. Find out why are there actually twelve days of Christmas, and put your perky ears to the test with a Music Round! And we have announcements and exciting news galore. Happy New Year, y'alls!

It's our KING SIZE year-end episode! With the help of our listeners, we've curated some of the best quizzes, stories, facts, nightmare animals, and music rounds from 2013. Thanks to you guys, dear listeners, for a fantastic year! May your new year be brainy and bright.