A few months ago I went to a Toby Keith concert in Mansfield, MA at the Xfinity Center. This is a great outdoor venue and the parking is free, FREE I tell you! The downside is that the design of the parking lot is not the greatest, and it can be difficult to get out of there and it sometimes can take awhile. So we had a solid 45 minutes before we ever left the parking lot. In the meantime, my friend Julie put an episode of Ask Me Another, because I had heard it being advertised on Pop Culture Happy Hour, and because it sounded like something up my alley considering it's predominantly about trivia. I was instantly hooked! The episode we listened to was a special edition "Road Trip Games" where every quiz/round was under the theme of traveling/geography-- especially up my alley! Even though Julie said this wasn't the typical format the show takes, I loved it and felt like the questions were accessible. I do love trivia, but I hate it when the questions are impossible for anyone but geniuses to answer. After listening to the episode, I knew that as soon as I had internet service (because I never do in MA or anywhere other than Iowa or really really rural places-looking at you Vermont), I was going to download Ask Me Another and add another podcast into my lineup.
The typical format of Ask Me Another goes like this: Ophira Eisenberg, the main comedic host introduces the contestants for each round of quizzes. There are two contestants for each round that have come to the studio (usually in Brooklyn) specifically for Ask Me Another. She'll introduce them, ask them a silly question that has something to do with the topic for the quiz round and then Jonathan Coulton (the other main host and house musician) or one of their few puzzle masters will read the clues. Then the contestants buzz in to answer. It's basically a game-show. Some of the rounds are more word games, some are steered more towards the historical bend, some more towards entertainment. There's a wide variety here. After 6ish rounds, they come to the final round where it is a "spelling bee" style of asking questions, where one wrong answers means you are out.
Throughout the episode there is usually a special guest that may come in the form of music duo "The Milk Carton Kids" or R. L. Stine (called Bob in real life), for examples. Ophira interviews them a bit, and has them take some type of quiz as well help in a round either reading or possibly singing clues. Basically it's a whole lot of fun and laughs, and I am addicted. I especially like listening to this while I am cooking my Blue Apron meals (blog post to come soon), as it's something to do with my mind but still very entertaining!
If you are in the mood for some easy listening and entertaining trivia, this is your podcast. It comes highly recommend by me :)