PG’s Playhouse: Puzzles, games, trivia, & general nerdery
- Episodes
- 57
- Released
- every two weeks
- Latest episode
- Nov 12, 2026
About the podcast
I’D RATHER BE AT GAME NIGHT. If you’re like us, you’ve got puzzles on the brain and a hankering for trivia. That’s why we started PG’s Playhouse, a podcast designed to feel like a great game night laughing with friends.
Each episode of PG’s Playhouse invites a guest to play a mix of original word games, puzzles, and quizzes. Co-host David then explores bizarre bits of history and trivia from whatever rabbit hole he’s decided to dive down.
Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira of Reality Escape Pod.
Episodes 57
57: Bannerman Castle (ft. Tom Scott)
David takes us on a journey to Bannerman Castle, a crumbling Scottish-style fortress built on an island in New York's Hudson River. Frank Bannerman is the eccentric founder of America's first Army-Navy surplus …
Show notes
David takes us on a journey to Bannerman Castle, a crumbling Scottish-style fortress built on an island in New York's Hudson River. Frank Bannerman is the eccentric founder of America's first Army-Navy surplus store, which he ran out of his Brooklyn apartment. The city chased him out, citing reasonable concerns about storing such large quantities of ordnance within city limits. Bannerman then set his sights on a small island in the middle of Hudson River and decided to build himself a fortress. This enormous castle once housed an unbelievable collection of military equipment, including cannons, rifles, and explosives. What could possibly go wrong? (Spoiler: Quite a lot.)
We're joined by our most requested guest yet: Tom Scott, a popular British educational presenter and host of the podcast Lateral. Lateral is a delightfully nerdy podcast where the panel of guests must use lateral thinking to solve unexpected questions. Tom even gives us a Lateral style question on today's show.
Today's game is called Concealed Weapons, where every answer is a word that also contains the word for a type of military supply.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Sheena Vira
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
56: Der Struwwelpeter (ft. Christine Barger)
It's Halloween at PG's Playhouse, and we're celebrating with the delightfully disturbing tale of Der Struwwelpeter: Merry Stories and Funny Pictures. Gentle parenting? We don't know her. This was a set of …
Show notes
It's Halloween at PG's Playhouse, and we're celebrating with the delightfully disturbing tale of Der Struwwelpeter: Merry Stories and Funny Pictures. Gentle parenting? We don't know her. This was a set of cautionary tales designed to scare naughty children into being good little angels. These "merry" stories feature children getting their thumbs snipped off by a giant scissor-wielding man, burning to death after playing with matches, and wasting away because they refuse to eat their soup... all accompanied by some very graphic illustrations.
Who better to join us for Halloween than The Haunt Girl, Christine Barger? The Haunt Girl has been covering haunted attractions and spooky experiences in the SoCal area for over a decade. Christine talks to us about some of her favorite Halloween experiences and what to look out for when interacting with haunt actors.
Our game today is called Even Monsters Need Love. Our players are given 3 clues from the "dating profile" of a monster or movie villain and must guess who the dating profile belongs to.
To hear more from Christine, check out her episode of Reality Escape Pod (REPOD S6E3). Check out her Halloween recommendations on The Haunt Girl, or her escape room at Exit Game OC. Her game, 13th Basement is a great pick if you're looking for a funny horror game to celebrate haunt season, and we even have a Spoilers Club episode about it!
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Sheena Vira
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
55: Diplomatic Immunity (ft. Lingthusiasm)
Is diplomatic immunity really a legal loophole for avoiding parking tickets? Does the land upon which the embassy sits belong to the embassy or the host country? We’re joined by the author of Because Internet …
Show notes
Is diplomatic immunity really a legal loophole for avoiding parking tickets? Does the land upon which the embassy sits belong to the embassy or the host country? We’re joined by the author of Because Internet, and co-host of Lingthusiasm, Gretchen McCulloch, for a deep dive into diplomatic immunity. David takes us from the ancient and extremely hazardous job of being a wartime messenger to the modern rules governing diplomats, embassies, and diplomatic bags.
Along the way, Gretchen talks nerdy to us about language in the modern era, explaining how the internet has transformed memes, and what it means for communication today. She also gets into how spellcheck influenced modern British spelling. Today's game is Cover Story, where the players must suss out the "spy" hidden in a group of words by figuring out which word doesn't belong.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza & Sheena Vira
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
54: The Streisand Effect (ft. Mark Larson)
Whatever you do, don’t listen to this episode. And definitely don’t read these show notes. Because if you do, you might discover that we’re talking about the Streisand effect: the phenomenon where trying to …
Show notes
Whatever you do, don’t listen to this episode. And definitely don’t read these show notes. Because if you do, you might discover that we’re talking about the Streisand effect: the phenomenon where trying to hide something only makes everyone more interested in it.
Our guest is puzzle and game designer Mark Larson, who has contributed to some of my favorite games, including the RECON convention game. (Seriously, his games are great). Mark also tells us about one of his wildest escape room projects: building a 15-minute escape room inside an actual ambulance for a medical convention. What could possibly go wrong?
David then dives into the Streisand effect. This was an attempt to suppress a photograph of Barbra Streisand’s Malibu home, which actually resulted in hundreds of thousands of people suddenly going looking for it. Before the lawsuit, only six views. After the lawsuit, over 420,000. Sometimes the best way to make something famous is to loudly announce that everyone should avert their eyes.
Today’s games include The Puzzle Effect, where players must find the missing word connecting two compound phrases, and an onerous round of Barbra Streisand trivia. Mark turns the tables on me with his game, Where’s the Break? In his game, two clues are crammed into a single sentence, and we had to figure out where one clue ended and the other began.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza & Sheena Vira
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
53: The Sears Catalog (ft. Aparna Nancherla)
" It spawned the term 'bathroom reading'" There was something magical about cracking open a gigantic Sears Catalog and imagining a life filled with hundreds of pages of things you never knew you needed. It was …
Show notes
" It spawned the term 'bathroom reading'"
There was something magical about cracking open a gigantic Sears Catalog and imagining a life filled with hundreds of pages of things you never knew you needed. It was Amazon before Amazon. In today's episode, David takes us shopping, vintage style. We talk about the origins of the Sears Catalog, and how it played an important role during the Jim Crow era. We also learned about its eventual home in the outhouse, and where the term "bathroom reading" originated.
Writer, actress, and comedian Aparna Nancherla joins us today to talk about puzzle streak addictions, imposter syndrome, and comedy. She's the author of Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Impostor Syndrome. Check out her comedy special on Dropout called Hopeful Potato, or catch her voicing Dr. Nisha in Pixar's latest movie, Hoppers.
Our game today is called Initial Here Please, where every answer is a two-word phrase starting with S and C.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
52: Diamonds (ft. Marriage Therapy Radio's Zach Brittle)
Diamonds are formed under a million years of crushing pressure, and for many couples, they're also the ultimate symbol of commitment. Coincidence? Maybe not. That's why we welcomed back couples therapist Zach …
Show notes
Diamonds are formed under a million years of crushing pressure, and for many couples, they're also the ultimate symbol of commitment. Coincidence? Maybe not. That's why we welcomed back couples therapist Zach Brittle, host of the Marriage Therapy Radio podcast. He talks to us about the secret to healthy relationships an – spoiler alert – it's not just vibes or diamond rings.
So how did diamonds become synonymous with engagement rings? What are they good for, really? David dives into the history and science of diamonds, including the most successful marketing campaign of all time, industrial uses, and more. I also share perspective as a working jeweler. Check out some of my work on my Instagram @loradorjewelry.
Today's game is called Uncut Gems. Players must polish and cut a word by removing the first and last letter to reveal the "diamond" word inside.
Check out Zach Brittle’s Website for more info on his podcast and his work. I recommend starting with David and Lisa’s episode, Ep 409 – No One Wins Alone: Lessons in Partnership from Escape Room Experts David and Lisa Spira.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
51: Passports (ft. Lingthusiasm's Gretchen McCulloch)
For centuries, language was one of the great barriers to travelling, to sharing cultures and to humans understanding one another. Even though online tools have now made translations and language barriers more …
Show notes
For centuries, language was one of the great barriers to travelling, to sharing cultures and to humans understanding one another. Even though online tools have now made translations and language barriers more accessible, sometimes even our own language can feel foreign. This is where linguists enter the picture. They explore the role of language and how people use it to communicate.
Guest Gretchen McCulloch is a linguist and she co-hosts Lingthusiasm, a podcast discussing all the hidden linguistic patterns you didn't realize you were already doing. Gretchen literally wrote the book on how the internet is changing the english language - Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language. I especially enjoyed hearing about why "um's & uh's" drive us crazy in a podcast, but we don't seem to notice them in live conversations.
Today's topic is passports! David talks about the function of passports, what all the different colors mean, and historical usage. Our game today is called A Passion for Ports, where each answer will contain the letters "pass" or "port."
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
50: Action Park (ft. Hatch Escapes)
It's the summer of 1980. You're a bored teenager in New Jersey with a few bucks, questionable judgment, and an afternoon to kill. At Action Park, you can spend the day hurling yourself down water slides …
Show notes
It's the summer of 1980. You're a bored teenager in New Jersey with a few bucks, questionable judgment, and an afternoon to kill. At Action Park, you can spend the day hurling yourself down water slides, shooting battle tanks, and losing some skin on the alpine slide. The possibility of imminent death makes it extra exciting.
There's a reason this was affectionally known as "Class Action Park" or "Traction Park." The attractions were built by amateurs, largely run by teenagers, and the legal liability was merely a suggestion. This park ran from the late 70s into the mid-90s, the golden age of latchkey kids and danger as entertainment. David recounts his own memories of visiting Action Park as a kid. He tells us about the crazy Cannonball Loop, where guests lost teeth, and the ridiculously fun Battle Tanks.
Tommy Wallach & Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp of Hatch Escapes join us to chat all about the wild history of Action Park. They also talk about their escape rooms and maximizing for joy in their games.
Today's game is Common Grounds, where the players must find the connection between a set of four words. To hear more about Hatch Escapes, check out their interview on REPOD S7E12.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
49: The Acme Corporation (ft. Mark Larson)
Meep meep! Special Delivery! Warning: This episode may contain falling anvils, plunger guns, painted tunnels, and a stick or two of dyno-MITE, all courtesy of The Acme Corporation. As anyone who has watched …
Show notes
Meep meep! Special Delivery! Warning: This episode may contain falling anvils, plunger guns, painted tunnels, and a stick or two of dyno-MITE, all courtesy of The Acme Corporation.
As anyone who has watched Saturday morning cartoons knows, Acme Corporation is synonymous with Looney Tunes. They're the delivery company famous for supplying Wile E. Coyote with everything from rocket skates to dehydrated boulders and giant rubber bands. Long before Looney Tunes, however, Acme was a commonplace business name, thanks to the yellow pages phone directory.
Joining us to explore the Acme Corporation is Mark Larson. Mark Larson is a game designer, puzzle creator, and all around professional maker of fun, and if you have ever played a game at RECON, our escape room convention, there is a good chance it was one of his. For this episode, he even brought a game of his own! And if you want to check out BLOT, the audio escape room Mark designed for RECON, listen to our live playthrough on REPOD (S10E11.)
My game is called "Special Delivery," where two clues each lead to the same word, but the second word has one extra letter tucked inside. Collect all the extra letters and you will find out what's inside the box.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
48: The Chicago Black Sox Scandal (ft. Good Morning From Hell)
In 1919, eight members of the Chicago White Sox took bribes worth somewhere between $70,000 and $100,000 to lose the World Series on purpose. Split eight ways and adjusted for inflation, that bribe comes out to …
Show notes
In 1919, eight members of the Chicago White Sox took bribes worth somewhere between $70,000 and $100,000 to lose the World Series on purpose. Split eight ways and adjusted for inflation, that bribe comes out to less money than you'd think. David walks us through the infamous Black Sox Scandal, including mob ties and the cheapskate team owner who docked the players' pay for laundry. It's honestly no surprise players were throwing games.
Joining us are Chris Demarais and Blaine Gibson, co-hosts of the improv comedy podcast Good Morning From Hell and the D&D actual play podcast Tales from the Stinky Dragon. We talk about what it's like running an actual play podcast with guests from Critical Role, their animated videos, and the full length puppet show adaptation of Stinky Dragon. Chris and Blaine are absolutely hilarious and so fun on the pod.
Today's game is called The Hall of Shame, where famous sports teams have been forced to rebrand after a scandal, and every new name has to rhyme with the old one. If you want to check out Chris and Blaine’s podcasts, start with the one featuring David Spira playing Jigsaw as an escape room game master.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
47: The Antikythera Mechanism (ft. David's Dad, Marc Spira)
In the early 1900s, a crew of sponge divers off the coast of Greece stumbled onto a 2,000-year-old shipwreck and the world's first known analog computer. Talk about buried treasure... this ancient technological …
Show notes
In the early 1900s, a crew of sponge divers off the coast of Greece stumbled onto a 2,000-year-old shipwreck and the world's first known analog computer. Talk about buried treasure... this ancient technological marvel sat abandoned and undisturbed in a warehouse for years before someone noticed the strange assortment of gears and discs.
It wasn't until as recently as 2010 that modern imaging allowed us to discover the purpose of this mechanism. It mapped the solar system, tracking things like eclipses and movement of the planets. It could even indicate the four-year cycle of the ancient Olympic Games.
For a special Father's Day episode, we're digging into the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient Greek device so far ahead of its time that nobody believed the ancient world could have built it. Joining us is a very special guest: Marc Spira, financial services professional, lifelong diver, and most importantly, David's dad.
Today's game is Buried Treasure, where two clues lead to the same word, except one of them is hiding an extra letter. Fish it out, bank it, and find out what's buried once all the letters surface.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
46: The Petticoat Affair (ft. Marriage Therapy Radio's Zach Brittle)
Today's episode dives into the surprisingly juicy political scandal known as the Petticoat Affair. Also known as the Eaton Affair, it revolved around a young, pretty girl, her handsome second husband, and very …
Show notes
Today's episode dives into the surprisingly juicy political scandal known as the Petticoat Affair. Also known as the Eaton Affair, it revolved around a young, pretty girl, her handsome second husband, and very proper, but gossipy wives. The Petticoat Affair managed to destabilized an entire presidency.
Marriage Therapy Radio and relationship therapist Zach Brittle joins us to talk about this incident that ended up dismantling Andrew Jackson's Presidential Cabinet. Zach also shares what he took away from his recent interview with David and Lisa on Marriage Therapy Radio. He also reveals the wildest story he's ever heard from a real couple on his podcast. Spoiler: it involves an affair. Two affairs, actually. This story had me clutching my proverbial pearls!
Today's game is Off the Cuff, where the players must figure out the Gen Z slang involving items of clothing. No cap.
Check out Zach Brittle's Website for more info on his podcast and his work. I recommend starting with David and Lisa's episode, Ep 409 – No One Wins Alone: Lessons in Partnership from Escape Room Experts David and Lisa Spira.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
45: Gadsby (ft. Hatch Escapes)
Tommy Wallach, David Spira, and the novel, Gadsby can come to the party, but Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp and Peih-Gee Law aren't invited. What's the rule of the party? It's no E's, please! Tommy and Terry are the …
Show notes
Tommy Wallach, David Spira, and the novel, Gadsby can come to the party, but Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp and Peih-Gee Law aren't invited. What's the rule of the party? It's no E's, please!
Tommy and Terry are the co-founders of Hatch Escapes in Los Angeles, California. They are creators of the iconic Lab Rat escape room and their incredible new game The Ladder. They also happen to be theater people and musical writers. They've got some big thoughts on writing and what qualifies as story, so we though they'd love hearing about today's topic.
Today's segment is about the 1939 novel Gadsby, by Ernest Vincent Wright, which was written entirely without the use of the letter E. David takes us on a tour of the lipogram, which is deliberately constrained writing that avoids specific letters.
The game is called Easy E, where players must take a word and add an E to make a new word.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
44: Belgian Waffles (ft. David's Mom, Joan Spira)
A vendor shows up to the 1964 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, Queens and starts handing out light, fluffy, deep-pocketed waffles topped with whipped cream and strawberries. Breakfast is forever changed for …
Show notes
A vendor shows up to the 1964 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, Queens and starts handing out light, fluffy, deep-pocketed waffles topped with whipped cream and strawberries. Breakfast is forever changed for millions of Americans. One of them was a little girl who took the bus there every weekend with her mom and twin sister. That little girl grew up to be David Spira's mom — and she's joining us today.
In honor of Mother's Day, Joan Spira joins us on PG's Playhouse to play games, share stories, and maybe troll David just a little bit. We learn about how one notorious New York City parks commissioner accidentally introduced the US to foods like falafel, kimchi, hummus, and the Belgian waffle — all because France and Italy refused to show up. Joan also shares some great stories about David growing up and some sage advice for mothers everywhere.
Today's game is called Tasting Bee, and it's all about foods from around the world that have a country or place baked right into the name.
Happy Mother's Day to moms everywhere — especially the ones raising little kids who use the word ostentatious at age two.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
43: Funeral Strippers (ft. Hello Puzzlers AJ Jacobs)
Answer our 2026 Audience Census! Funerals are usually pretty somber affairs, right? Everyone wears black and gathers to respectfully mourn the dearly departed. Well, in parts of rural China and Taiwan, they've …
Show notes
Answer our 2026 Audience Census!
Funerals are usually pretty somber affairs, right? Everyone wears black and gathers to respectfully mourn the dearly departed.
Well, in parts of rural China and Taiwan, they've decided to put the fun in "fun"erals. More people attending a funeral procession usually means more honor to the deceased. Well, some enterprising relatives decided to up the ante by not only hosting a party with a live band, but they also invited dancers! This spectacle guaranteed a large crowd for their lost family member, which apparently appeased the spirits.
Author and podcaster A.J. Jacobs joins us to chat about this little known funeral practice. Today's game is called Going Topless, where each answer is a word that becomes another word when you remove the first letter.
If you enjoy PG's Playhouse, we highly recommend A.J.'s podcast Hello Puzzlers, which contains bite-sized puzzle snacks, perfect for listening on the go. Learn more about A.J. Jacobs at his website.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
42: The Canterbury Tales (ft. Zach Sherwin)
Answer our 2026 Audience Census! "Canterbury Tales was basically the precursor to Epic Rap Battles of History." The beat drops and freestylin' rappers take to the stage, battling it out to see who has the best …
Show notes
Answer our 2026 Audience Census!
"Canterbury Tales was basically the precursor to Epic Rap Battles of History."
The beat drops and freestylin' rappers take to the stage, battling it out to see who has the best flow. First to the stage is The Knight, and his other contenders are characters like The Wife of Bath, The Miller, or The Reeve. Our topic today is The Canterbury Tales. This is the story of a group of pilgrims who gather around the fire to tell stories, primarily in verse.
Zach Sherwin, our guest today, knows a thing or two about storytelling in verse. He's a longtime writer and performer on the Youtube channel Epic Rap Battles of History. This show pits two historical characters against each other, battling it out for rap supremacy. Zach has also created The Crossword Show, a hilarious live show where comedians solve a crossword while Zach performs about the topics. He also shares a few puzzles with us today as well.
Today's game is called Name Dropping, and it's all about modern names that come from medieval occupations. Grab your tickets to RECON 26 this summer to see Zach perform The Crossword Show live.
Click here for a playlist of Epic Rap Battles featuring Zach Sherwin.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
41: Black Light (ft. Wild Optimists)
Answer our 2026 Audience Census! Are you looking to turn your party into a rave? Black light. Trying to find that pet stain you missed? Black light. Hiding secret messages in plain sight? You guessed it, it's …
Show notes
Answer our 2026 Audience Census!
Are you looking to turn your party into a rave? Black light. Trying to find that pet stain you missed? Black light. Hiding secret messages in plain sight? You guessed it, it's black light! To celebrate our April Fool's Day project – a whole cookbook and party planning guide for hosting a black light dinner party – today, we explore everything about black lights.
Joining us are the Wild Optimists: Juliana Moreno and Ariel Ruben. They created the Escape Room in a Box series and have since collaborated on many tabletop games and interactive marketing campaigns. Their newest game is Lovecraft and Poe, a cooperative strategy tabletop game. Players choose characters with variable strengths and weaknesses, and work together on an ever-changing board to defeat unique villains in every game.
Today's game is In the Black, a Taboo-style guessing game where every answer includes the word "black." Lovecraft and Poe will be available via Kickstarter soon, so follow Wild Optimists and sign up for their newsletter to stay informed. You can also learn more about their work on REPOD S1E3.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
40: Groundhog Day (ft. Good Morning From Hell)
Answer our 2026 Audience Census! "A holiday of debatable quality." It's chonky, furry, and oh so cute! The creature slowly creeps out of its burrow, looking around for his shadow. Good news! It doesn't see it …
Show notes
Answer our 2026 Audience Census!
"A holiday of debatable quality."
It's chonky, furry, and oh so cute! The creature slowly creeps out of its burrow, looking around for his shadow. Good news! It doesn't see it. The weather will be hot for the forseeable future. Bad news... well, we're also surrounded by fire and brimstone. Welcome to Groundhog Day in Hell.
Chris Demarais and Blaine Gibson, co-hosts of the hilarious Good Morning from Hell podcast join us for some devilishly fun puzzles. Good Morning from Hell is a weekly podcast starring Blaine as Clayton, the younger brother of Satan, and Chris as himself. Every week, Chris and Clayton interview someone from Hell. This show is off-the-rails funny.
Today's topic is Groundhog Day, and we explore the origins and bizarre story behind this annual weather predicting tradition. Today's game is called Cloudy with a Chance of Puzzles, where the guests must figure out these weather related idioms.
If you want to check out Chris and Blaine's podcasts, look for Good Morning from Hell or their actual play D&D podcast Tales from the Stinky Dragon.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
39: Salt (ft. Survivor's Rachel LaMont)
Answer our 2026 Audience Census! "Worth its weight in salt" Salt is a mineral so essential that civilizations literally sprung up around salt and built trade routes to secure it. It's been used as currency, to …
Show notes
Answer our 2026 Audience Census!
"Worth its weight in salt"
Salt is a mineral so essential that civilizations literally sprung up around salt and built trade routes to secure it. It's been used as currency, to preserve foods, and in all manner of industrial manufacturing. It's also used to make our food taste better.
You know what else makes food taste better? Puzzles! Our guest is Survivor Season 47 Winner Rachel LaMont. She knows a thing or two about food and puzzles, having combined them in her new game Puzzle Hungry: Umami Rush! It's a 2–4 player Japanese food-themed speed puzzling party game with points, cards, double-sided puzzles, and sabotage elements like “health code violations,” plus interactive callouts.
Today's game is called Stay Salty, where I've "seasoned" a word by adding a letter to the beginning of a word to make a new, "edible" word. Each answer will be something edible.
You can pre-order Puzzle Hungry now for a taste of competitive puzzling.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
38: Phylloxera (ft. I Know Dino)
Answer our 2026 Audience Census! The wine apocalypse that almost happened. Imagine no more wine bars, no more popping champagne to celebrate special occasions, and no more enjoying a glass of cabernet with your …
Show notes
Answer our 2026 Audience Census!
The wine apocalypse that almost happened.
Imagine no more wine bars, no more popping champagne to celebrate special occasions, and no more enjoying a glass of cabernet with your steak. In the 19th century, a tiny little aphid nearly wiped wine off the map, decimating centuries-old vineyards globally. Eventually, wine growers figured out how to combat the phylloxera menace. David shares the story of phylloxera in this episode of PG's Playhouse.
Joining us are special guests Garrett and Sabrina, hosts of the I Know Dino podcast. They share some fun facts about dinosaurs, including mummified fossils that include skin and feathers and also dinosaur cannibalism. Our game today is "Sour Grapes of Wrath" where I've created before and after mashups of two phrases. The players must guess the middle word that links the phrases.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
37: Gonzo Journalism (ft. AJ Jacobs of Hello, Puzzlers!)
Answer our 2026 Audience Census! Author A.J. Jacobs is no stranger to gonzo journalism. He often puts himself directly into the story he's writing, whether it's about taking the Bible literally, or living out …
Show notes
Answer our 2026 Audience Census!
Author A.J. Jacobs is no stranger to gonzo journalism. He often puts himself directly into the story he's writing, whether it's about taking the Bible literally, or living out the Constitution. Much like gonzo journalism, there's no attempt or pretense about remaining objective. In A.J.'s writing, he describes in hilarious detail how his lifestyle experiments have impacted his family and work life.
David talks about the origins of gonzo journalism, and we discuss how it differs from A.J.'s own writing style. A.J. also shares some insights he learned from his latest book, A Year of Living Constitutionally. Today's game is called This Game is LIT...erature. Players are given the names of chapters, and must figure out the subject of the book.
If you enjoyed this episode, check out our interviews with A.J. about his book The Puzzler on S3E11 of Reality Escape Pod and our interview about his puzzling podcast Hello Puzzler on S6E13 of REPOD.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
36: Spanktown, New Jersey (ft. Zach Sherwin)
Answer our 2026 Audience Census! "This game is all about movies with titles that sound dirty but aren't." David goes to Spanktown every day. You might ask Why, or wonder if he's ever going to Hell. It all does …
Show notes
Answer our 2026 Audience Census!
"This game is all about movies with titles that sound dirty but aren't."
David goes to Spanktown every day. You might ask Why, or wonder if he's ever going to Hell. It all does feel a bit Peculiar and Boring. No, we haven't suddenly gone off the deep end, but rather, we're exploring some quirky and unusual town names. Zach Sherwin is the creator of The Crossword Show, and a veteran of the iconic YouTube channel Epic Rap Battles of History. He joins us today to talk about his show and tackle some puzzles.
Today's game is called Down and Dirty, where every answer is a movie with a title that sounds dirty, but isn't. If you want to learn more about Zach Sherwin and The Crossword Show, check out our interview with him on Reality Escape Pod S10E10. He'll also be performing live at the Reality Escape Convention this August 2026.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
35: Conveyor Belt Sushi (ft. Survivor's Rachel LaMont)
Watching Rachel LaMont absolutely dominate the puzzles was one of the highlights of Survivor S47. She eventually won after spending most of her time as an underdog. One of her most iconic moments was when a …
Show notes
Watching Rachel LaMont absolutely dominate the puzzles was one of the highlights of Survivor S47. She eventually won after spending most of her time as an underdog. One of her most iconic moments was when a starving Rachel decided to pocket some of the rice from a Survivor challenge, and Jeff Probst called her out on it. She tells us how it all went down, and she shares an interesting behind the scenes moment.
After winning Survivor, Rachel combined her graphic design skills with her puzzling prowess to create Puzzle Hungry, a competitive jigsaw puzzle game. This inspired today's topic, Conveyor Belt Sushi. Our game today is Movie Mash Potatoes, where each answer is a mashup of foods and movie or song titles.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
34: Tyromancy (ft. Jordan Sorcery)
Today's topic is a bit cheesy, but still divine. Throughout the ages, humans have always tried to foretell the future or discern the nature of being through different types of divination. These have included …
Show notes
Today's topic is a bit cheesy, but still divine. Throughout the ages, humans have always tried to foretell the future or discern the nature of being through different types of divination. These have included the more well-known types of fortune telling including tarot cards, palm reading, tea leaf reading and more. Today, we're talking tyromancy – divination by reading cheeses.
Warhammer historian and YouTuber Jordan Sorcery joins us again. We chat about his podcast, In Conversation with Jordan Sorcery, which features interviews and chats with designers, writers, and artists creating Warhammer content. He also tells us about his newest podcast, Warhammer Film Club, which explores connections between classic cinema and Warhammer.
Today's game is called Getting Shredded, where the players must solve clues ranging from riddles and jokes to cryptic crosswords to figure out the type of cheese. Later, we have a bonus game where they must guess the type of divination from the name.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
33: Mistletoe (ft. The REA Team)
"A very twist ending. I don't think we were expecting it to go quite that way." The scent of cedar and cloves drift through the air, and all around the lights are twinkling. Boughs of holly and mistletoe …
Show notes
"A very twist ending. I don't think we were expecting it to go quite that way."The scent of cedar and cloves drift through the air, and all around the lights are twinkling. Boughs of holly and mistletoe decorate the rafters, and you've gathered friends and loved ones to celebrate.
It's our first REPOD and PG's Playhouse crossover Holiday Special! To celebrate, we've invited our Podcast Producer, Theresa Piazza, and Room Escape Artist Contributor, Andrew Reynolds to join us for games, trivia, and merriment. Today's game is "It's Not Elf on the Shelf", inspired by an actual toy Snoop on the Stoop. Each answer is a celebrity paired with a rhyming location in the house.
We all share some recommendations for games, puzzles, and shows that we've been enjoying. Then David takes us down the rabbit hole of mistletoe trivia, which has sexier origins than any of us imagined.
I hope you enjoyed this fun PG's Playhouse-style episode! We're grateful for all of our loyal listeners, and we're thrilled that you've stuck with us for so long. Happy holidays, everyone!
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
32: Dinosaur Misconceptions (ft. I Know Dino)
Much like the dinosaurs, what we know about them is still evolving on a yearly, if not monthly basis. Did you know that we're discovering new dinosaurs practically every week? Garret and Sabrina of the popular …
Show notes
Much like the dinosaurs, what we know about them is still evolving on a yearly, if not monthly basis. Did you know that we're discovering new dinosaurs practically every week? Garret and Sabrina of the popular I Know Dino podcast join us to talk about these fascinating creatures. Their podcast is knowledgeable, fun, and easy to follow.
We also talk about how birds evolved from dinosaurs, opalized fossils found in Australia, and The Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil show, where you can find opalized fossils and other interesting items for sale. If you want to see more images of Peih-Gee's jewelry, you can check out her Instagram @loradorjewelry.
Today's game is called Animal Style where the players must figure out the animal that's hidden inside words and sentences. If you want to learn more about dinosaurs, make sure to check out I Know Dino!
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
31: Kiki & Bouba (ft. Adal Rifai)
" Apparently Kiki and Bouba is one of the few things that can pull us all together." If I showed you a sharp spikey object and a round blobby object and told you that one was named Kiki, and the other named was …
Show notes
" Apparently Kiki and Bouba is one of the few things that can pull us all together."
If I showed you a sharp spikey object and a round blobby object and told you that one was named Kiki, and the other named was Bouba, which name would you assign to which object? In today's episode, we explore the linguistic phenomenon of "Kiki and Bouba." Almost universally, across many different cultures and languages, most people will associate these sounds to visual shapes the same way. Joining us today is seasoned improver and podcaster Adal Rifai, known for his podcasts Hey Riddle Riddle and Gumshoes & Dragons that's a bit like an investigative murder mystery in a D&D fantasy setting.
Today's game is called Common Grounds, where players are given 4 phrases and must find the common word that connects them all.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
30: Warhammer (ft. Jordan Sorcery)
"In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war." In a dark, grim world, forty thousand years in the future, goblins, ghouls, and elves are battling for supremacy. Their armor is polished, their …
Show notes
"In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war."
In a dark, grim world, forty thousand years in the future, goblins, ghouls, and elves are battling for supremacy. Their armor is polished, their muscles are bulging, and the paint is almost dry. This is the massive world of Warhammer.
In episode 30, Jordan Sorcery joins us to dive down the rabbit hole of Warhammer's rich history. Jordan is a Warhammer historian, and he gives us a light overview of the game, both as a business and as The Hobby. It's a strategic war game played with miniatures, with a vast world of lore and story. He tells us about the concept of "grimdark," which is an aesthetic tone of a gritty, hopeless dystopia, inspired by the tagline of Warhammer 40K: "In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war." We also talk about the gameplay of Warhammer and some ways to get started in this hobby.
If you want to learn more about Warhammer, check out Jordan's website www.jordansorcery.com or his YouTube Channel Jordan Sorcery, which covers not only Warhammer, but other tabletop games as well.
Today's game is called What a Tool, where players must guess the idiom that contains a type of tool or hardware. In level two, the idiom has undergone a transformation, and the players must figure out the new phrase.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
29: The Mandela Effect (ft. Tony from Hack The Movies)
" Your memories can't be trusted." Everyone remembers that 90s movie called Shazam starring Sinbad as a genie, right? Was it Berenstein Bears or Berenstain Bears? Did Mandela die in prison, or is that just a …
Show notes
" Your memories can't be trusted."
Everyone remembers that 90s movie called Shazam starring Sinbad as a genie, right? Was it Berenstein Bears or Berenstain Bears? Did Mandela die in prison, or is that just a glitch in our collective brain? In today's episode, we explore the Mandela Effect, a phenomenon where a large group of people collectively misremember an event or detail, often about pop culture, logos, or historical events.
Tony Piluso from the Hack the Movies YouTube channel joins us again for a dive down some shared memories that definitely never happened. Today's game is called False Memory, where movies about memories have had their titles altered with a word that rhymes... or was that always the title?
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
28: The Power Glove (ft. Adal Rifai)
"I love it. It's so bad." At a glance, it's glove at first sight. But gamers in the 80s and 90s soon threw up their hands in disgust while trying to get The Power Glove to power anything besides their rage …
Show notes
"I love it. It's so bad."
At a glance, it's glove at first sight. But gamers in the 80s and 90s soon threw up their hands in disgust while trying to get The Power Glove to power anything besides their rage.
Prolific podcaster Adal Rifai joins us to explore The Power Glove and play some games. Adal is certainly no stranger when it comes to puzzling podcasts. His podcast Hey Riddle Riddle features a trio of improvisers solving riddles and lateral puzzles. Adal has recently launched a new show called Gumshoes & Dragons that's a bit like Colombo meets D&D. Today's game is called Power Glove Box, where every answer will be a video game term mashed up with another common word or phrase.
Production CreditsHosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner
Chapters
Loading chapters …
These are the latest 40 of 57 episodes. You’ll find older episodes in the podcast’s feed.
Similar podcasts
More Leisure podcasts
Is this your podcast?
Confirm it with an entry in your feed: you get a code here, add it as podcast:txt to the channel of your feed, and we check it. Your podcast is then shown as “verified” on SoundNode.