Contestants: Randall Eng, Andy Greeley, Ewan Munro, Ajay Parasuraman, Jeffrey Seguritan, Jayanthi Srinivasan ICE to see you tune in for this latest Directors Set, one so fiendishly challenging that not one but two contestants are seriously considering renouncing their citizenship by the end of it! From a string of émigrés that causes one contestant…

Contestants: Jonathan Mishory, Raghuveer Mukkamalla, Jack Rousseau, S. A. Shenoy Join me and four brave playtesters — including one Zooming along the New Jersey Turnpike (not behind the wheel!) — who said "yes" to NO. Learn about a dizzyingly wide variety of filmmakers, from a professional pickleball player to the mother of rapper-turned-politician…

Contestants: Randall Eng, Jing Feng, Andy Greeley, Ewan Munro, Jeffrey Seguritan, Jayanthi Srinivasan Who needs Gukesh vs. Ding when you have Randall Eng and Ewan Munro duking it out for cinematic-quiz supremacy? But even as we all compete to mispronounce French names that being with "M," it is Jayanthi who comes out on top with the worst pun--uh, …

Contestants: Dan Blim, Randall Eng, Jayanthi Srinivasan, Ariel Watsky NOTE: This friendly includes 13 images that, for obvious technical reasons, cannot be included; therefore, this audio replay should not be considered a "pure" example of my work. Keep in mind that the contestants are not big James Bond buffs. If *you* are, and would like to play …

Contestants: Kelsey Barcomb, Mike Cheyne, Greg Fanoe, Patrick Friel, Miranda Onnen, Tucker Warner NOTE: This is a free preview. Please subscribe to my Patreon to gain access to the rest of the alphabet. I've decided to release three bonus mini-sodes this Thanksgiving (of which this is the second). Enjoy! Six cinephiles gather in one Zoom room to sh…

Contestants: Kelsey Barcomb, Paige Feldman, Charlie Fritz, Cari Milowicki, Lindsay Sobczak, Tucker Warner NOTE: This is a free preview. Please subscribe to my Patreon to gain access to the rest of the alphabet. Happy Thanksgiving! This free preview is what you get, as our six cinephile contestants test their knowledge of Radiohead's "Karma Police,"…

Contestants: Dan Burgess, Randall Eng, Ewan Munro, Jayanthi Srinivasan, Anupama Srirangan NOTE: This is a free preview. Please subscribe to my Patreon to gain access to the rest of the alphabet. Five cinephiles gather in one Zoom room to show off their knowledge of directors with surnames beginning with "L." What happens next will shock and amuse y…

Contestants: Charlie Fritz, Andy Greeley, Lindsay Sobczak, Tucker Warner NOTE: This is a free preview. Please subscribe to my Patreon to gain access to the rest of the alphabet. Four cinephiles (including our current OQL commissioner!) compete to show off knowledge of directors with "K" names. A "From the Vault" cut of these questions, featuring ye…

(Note: That's a letter I, not a number 1) Contestants: Ben Kitchen, Ewan Munro, Devin Rossiter I recently recorded two new Recreational Thinking Lite episodes; the other (with Aaron Levine, Manas Sarma, and my Jeopardy! compatriot Andrew Whatley), will go up as a Patreon exclusive. But as I'm working through my editing backlog — a lot of new materi…

Contestants: Jing Feng, Andy Greeley, Randall Eng, Ewan Munro NOTE: This is a free preview. Please subscribe to my Patreon to gain access to the rest of the alphabet. Another little taste of my directors sets! This set, covering I's and some leftover H's, is one of my hardest, but Randall & Ewan and company are more than up to the task. Perhaps we'…

Contestants: Frederic Bush, Chris Miller, Greg Weinstein, Tucker Warner, Dan Blim (whole time); Cliff Galiher, Charlie Fritz (part of the time) NOTE: This is a free preview. Please subscribe to my Patreon to gain access to the rest of the alphabet. Welcome to my new series! Written by a serious cinephile (me) for an audience of cinephiles, these qu…

Contestants: Meredith MacVittie, Ben Rothenberg, Nikhil Soneja From the semi-logical to the semiological, this episode examines the JAMES BOND phenomenon at all angles, turning a spyglass on the world's most famous spy. As we celebrate the rich legacy of the Bond franchise while also reflecting on its many problematic aspects, we additionally draw …

Contestants: Randall Eng, Doug Behrend, Darren Munk Play ball! An episode recorded back in spring is ready just in time for the playoffs, and just like their favorite players, our baseball-loving contestants are all highly skilled contenders vying for a prestigious world championship! Well, okay, maybe it's not that prestigious, and it's definitely…

Contestants: Erin Portman, Vince Bacani, Jimmy Davoren I love all my contestants equally, but the moment in this episode when one reasons out the *meter* of the correct answer using her knowledge of prosody is an all-time highlight. Really, though, there are standout moments from everyone in an episode that covers the 4 C's — curling, Catholicism, …

Contestants: Michael Rankins, Dave Ross, Nikhil Soneja Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-BATMAN!!! And WONDER WOMAN!!! And GREEN LANTERN, plus FLASH!!! All your favorite DC superheroes and supervillains — okay, well, a decent selection of them — turn up in this topic-specific episode that spans the Golden, Silver, Bronze, and modern Ages of DC Comics. Plus, …

Contestants: Ben Bass, Matthew Marcus, Henry Stringer and "gate-crasher" Raghuveer Mukkamalla Want to see more of dashing J! champion Matthew Marcus? Join him and three other fans of Recreational Thinking in the first ever recorded episode of Recreational Thinking Lite! These were intended as Patreon exclusives, and most of them are, but the public…

For the first time, my Patreon followers have something to show for their support other than just a warm, fuzzy feeling! This past weekend, I quickly threw together seven episodes of what I'm calling Recreational Thinking lite, a fast-and-furious, unstructured, unedited format where everyone works together against my questions and we wrap things up…

Contestants: Henry Stringer, Akiva Fox, Nathan Crissey What could be scarier than a "deranged cheese monster"? Well, for quizzers, it would have to be forgetting the name of someone you've spent time with on multiple occasions, right when you're asked a question about them. Yes, this episode's clever contestants hit highs and lows, mixing painfully…

Contestants: Dan Blim, Jayanthi Martins, Nick Salyers We may not have pumpkins, but we do crown a Pun King (or Queen?) in this seasonally appropriate episode featuring vampires, Hitchcock, the Saw franchise, and strained wordplay galore! From Koopas to Kansas, from Mario to Mitski, from Princess Peach to the Dolphin Princess ... like the humble tom…

Contestants: Nathan Flynn, Bradly Martin, Danny Dogget Full circle! We recorded this Gilliganverse-heavy episode the day Better Call Saul premiered its final half-season, and I'm releasing it right as that series airs its finale. Kismet, huh? Welcome to one of our most atypical episodes, as the contestants are recruited not from quizzing circles bu…

Contestants: Mike Jeziorski, Tucker Warner, Jack Rousseau Enjoy Episode 10? Then you'll love this SUPER SIZED reunion of all three members of that classic lineup, now with 95% less baseball. Never fear, though, for I Am the Pretty Thing that Writes the Questions, and so we make up for it with more nods to growing up in Illinois than a Sufjan Steven…

Contestants: Mike Samuelson, Colin Smith, Ryan Palmer, Dan Schroeder Stay hungry, stay foolish, and stay listening to this SPECIAL CROSSOVER REUNION EVENT in which Recreational Thinking yet again meets The Soccer Thread! For the first time since Episode 5, the host and the majority of the contestants are occupying the same physical space, and for t…

Contestants: Matt Jackson, Jenna LaFleur, Ben Rothenberg Buon giorno! A Jeopardy! legend and two of his DC-area pub-quiz-mates join us in this exhilarating episode, albeit with one Zooming remotely from Rome, and as if by magic a surprisingly high number of questions sprout Italian connections. (These unconscious mini-themes — last time's was Game …

Contestants: James Lasker, David Plotkin, Manas Sarma "I can't believe that went longer than our technical difficulties episode!" -David As only our second episode to cross the 3-hour mark, this one had better justify its length ... and it does! Episode 6 was the first truly great episode of this podcast, and though I was only able to reunite 2/3rd…

Contestants: Aaron Lichtig, David Goldfarb, Greg Fanoe You know what you doing? For great justice (and knowledge), make your time for the next 2.5 hours and enjoy this experimental episode of RECREATIONAL THINKING featuring a categorical collision unlike anything we've ever seen before! If you're curious about superhero comics, Italo Calvino, Janet…

Contestants: Daryl Sng, Dargan Ware, Anthony Garino Brain work ahead? Uh, yeah, I sure hope it does! Learn about snarky YouTubers, resilient Czechs, murderous Mannerist madrigalists, Freudian chessmasters, poetry-writing Ouija boards, gentleman safecrackers, and technical fouls galore in this installment of RECREATIONAL THINKING so full of meaty tw…

Contestants: Alexander Darby, Peter Broda, Ben Zimmer Who made the man behind "Happy" cry? What are E-Girls, and why are they ruining my life? What innocuous nursery rhyme did Paul McCartney turn into a UK Top 10 hit? Which James Bond theme drew inspiration from the Hebrew Bible? How does one stuff a wild bikini? Let's Talk About Love, learn How to…

Contestants: Anu Kashyap, Dan Feitel, Chris Ottolino Welcome to 2022! It's our first episode recorded since May 2021. (If you're curious what's been going on in the interim, feel free to check out the streaming show I attempted to launch: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYyq5QTgHTmLfy4kyrnM7j7fHz87ohqSy .) A former National Spelling Bee cham…

Contestants: Caitlin Joyce, Randall Eng, Chris Miller How did a college student urinating into a potted plant bring down a national government? In what way is Staten Island a magical realm? When does Before come after After? Can Belgian Waffles ever be wrong? What is a "mezzo with moves"? What is "vore"? (Don't look that up.) Who is a "pantspreneur…

Contestants: Ben Rothenberg, Jimmy Li, Chris Ottolino The Wednesday Academic Purists may be my bitter rivals in CONNECTIONS ONLINE QUIZ LEAGUE and LEARNEDLEAGUE's A Typhoon rundle, but off the quizzing field it's all fun and games ⁠— and besides, now I get to turn them against each other, in a sidesplitting episode that covers everything from RuPau…

Contestants: Mike Samuelson, Colin Smith, Ryan Palmer, Dan Schroeder They think it's all over! Well, is it? Only once you're done listening to my ridiculously entertaining crossover with the hilarious and charming men of THE SOCCER THREAD PODCAST. Yes, I mocked soccer in my description of E11, and for my sins I designed an entire episode around The…

Contestants: Daniel Cohen, Eugene Hung, Lindsay Goldstein There are two kinds of RECREATIONAL THINKING episodes: Ones where the contestants already know each other and ones where they find their chemistry over the course of the episode. This is an excellent example of the latter, along with being a competitive nail-biter in which the lead continual…

Contestants: Victoria Groce, Troy Meyer, Yogesh Raut Did you notice that this week UM, ACTUALLY released an episode in which their usual host takes a turn in the contestants' chair? That must be what Jung called synchronicity! Yes, as a birthday present for me in 2021, several friends arranged to satisfy my long-standing wish to understand and expe…

Contestants: Oishee Shemontee, Drew Scheeler, Charlie Fritz It's appropriate that in our very last episode recorded using Skype (*sob*) we discovered "Together Mode," as this episode's contestants are all very good friends with each other ... or *were*, until that bond was tested by an unprecedented streak of steals! So come cheer on larceny as we …

Contestants: Ronny Jackson, Joey Goldman, Andrew Fisher Cheerio from across the pond! We're joined in this episode by three brilliant UK quizzers, including Mimir's Well co-founder Joey Goldman. Joey is a past victor on UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE and ONLY CONNECT, but has he met his match in RECREATIONAL THINKING? Listen and find out! Along the way, you'…

Contestants: Lynn Yu, Christine Whelchel, Monya De Two of my favorite contestants from last season re-join us alongside a skilled third, and together they uncover a hidden theme to this episode's questions that I wasn't even consciously aware of. What is it? Listen and find out! Also, you'll get to enjoy questions about very recent popular music, v…

Contestants: Trevor Alexander, Greg Peterson, Joe Trela Get ready for a streak of some of my all-time favorite episodes! Coming up we've got another all-brilliant-women episode, an all-UK-quizzers episode, a crossover episode with a soccer podcast, and even a Very Special Episode where I take a turn in the contestant chair myself. None of which is …

Contestants: Gavin Byrnes, Ryan Rosenberg, Jason Luna So I'll start off with an apology. I kind of let this episode get away from me; I recorded it on way too little sleep, which threw off my energy, and also I tried some experiments in question-writing that, on reflection, didn't pan out. (None of this is the fault of the contestants, who are awes…

Contestants: Tucker Warner, Tom Colocci, Marcus Luna Take us out to the ballgame! Two of last's seasons most popular contestants and one very entertaining newcomer join us to kick off Season 2 with a game that's not so heavy on the baseball that it doesn't leave room for its cousin from across the pond. Oh, and plenty of other topics are represente…

Contestants: Paige Feldman, Mik Larsen, Rajay Kumar Fight on! This episode sees me (joined once again by Andrew Darby from E7) re-unite with three dear friends from my days at USC, including E15 standout Rajay, as we re-fight the Civil War, re-visit -- appropriately enough -- some old "Friends," and reference Alfred Hitchcock so many times I may as…

Contestants: Isaac Renert, Milan Fernandez, Max Shatan Happy Juneteenth! And now for something completely different: An entire episode devoted to the wide world of cinema, with three millennial cinephiles kindly stepping up and allowing me to experiment with the format. A warning! If you aren't into movies, be prepared to approach this primarily as…

Contestants: Internet personality "Default Friend," Trey Kelso, Tom Colocci College football, DC Comics, The Office, Wicca, and Donny Osmond are all on the syllabus of an episode bookended, for no particular reason, by the works of Stephen King. Come for the realization that your favorite '80s one-hit wonder also wrote your favorite '90s Disney son…

Contestants: Dargan Ware, Joshua Hill, Andy Wehrman Order in the court!! Civil law is on the docket in this episode, alongside geography, religion, business, country music, the Founding Fathers, classic Simpsons, and more! By the way, since this episode taped Dargan Ware has published a second novel, "Old Soldiers Never Die." Check out both it and …

Contestants: David Kendall, Brian Hight, Anupama Srirangan We travel the world in this geography-themed episode (with an emphasis on national flags and anthems), while also covering many other topics, including collegiate sports, organic chemistry, and the Old Dominion state. Like Virginia, this episode is for lovers — lovers of knowledge! Like wha…

Contestants: Jesse Palek-Zahn, Rajay Kumar, Steve Winer We take a grand tour of the humanities, sciences, and pop culture in this episode, with questions covering history, literature, physics, health/medicine, sports, movies, TV, and more! Find out how we go from Walter White to Heisenberg without referencing "Breaking Bad," anticipate the plots of…

Contestants: Steve Evenhouse, Bill Pennington, Jonathan Klein And now "Recreational Thinking" has its first truly international episode, with an American facing off against a Canadian native and an actual Australian who got up early to record with us all the way from the Antipodes! (Dig those exotic bird sounds in the background.) Join us as we lea…

Contestants: Lynn Yu, Arianna Haut, Muffy Marracco This is it, you guys. Yes, it's our first episode with an all-woman lineup, but more importantly it's our funniest and most energetic episode to date (in spite of the fact that I was still fairly illness-drained, albeit on the upswing, at the time of recording). Two of the most masterful mastermind…

Contestants: Todd Hunter, Dillon Edwards, Cheyenne Fletcher This episode was recorded at the height of my sickness last March, and I can't say I'm at my best. Still, the contestants and I take an entertaining tour of everything from Australian history to TV cooking shows to quantum mechanics, and still find time for an extended discussion of the ro…

Contestants: Mehrun Etebari, Christine Grace Whelchel, Devin Landin The outside world rears its ugly head in this episode of "Recreational Thinking," as it is the first of three I recorded while suffering from ... let's call it SOMETHING-19. Luckily, the contestants brought more than enough energy to make up for me as they showed off their knowledg…

Contestants: Mike Jeziorski, Tucker Warner, Jack Rousseau A true collision of expertise occurs in this episode that's heavy on baseball and cinema but also detours into video games, mythology, alt-rock, and molecular biology! Stay tuned to the end for a discussion that shapes the future direction of the show. Like what you hear? Consider donating v…