Distractible Podcast: "The Oxford 3000" (October 20, 2025)
Overview
In this episode, the Distractible crew—Mark Fischbach (Markiplier), Wade Barnes, and Bob Muyskens—dive into language, friendship, and brain teasers with a custom game built around the Oxford 3000: the 3,000 most essential English words. Between the competitive mayhem, the guys share hilarious and heartfelt stories from their lives, including awkward wedding anecdotes, medical mishaps, and the hazards of aging. The main event is a wordplay challenge involving spelling and guessing words backwards, followed by a "hotter or colder" guessing game. As ever, the banter is sharp, silly, and deeply relatable.
Episode Highlights & Key Discussion Points
The Usual Banter: Status Updates and Life Stories
[03:36–04:44] - Above Average Podcasting
- The hosts playfully bicker over whether they are the "most above average" or the "least outstanding" podcast.
- Set up of the episode: Bob is today's host after winning last week; Mark and Wade will compete for points.
[04:47–06:39] - "And Friends": Convention Chaos
- Wade recalls being mistaken for a camera crew instead of a panelist at a PAX convention, denied access to the stage with Mark.
- Wade [06:25]: “We’re the ‘and friends’ of the panel.”
[08:22–11:22] - Mark’s Big Personal News
- Mark announces he is now officially married and explains the story behind his engagement ring and how they accidentally hard-launched their marriage.
- Mark [08:22]: “I’m married now, so I’m a husband like that.”
- Explains that wedding details will come in a separate video with Amy.
[11:44–12:15] - The Window 10 Demise & Social Media Victories
- Mark’s mom’s Instagram post about him surpassed his own social media in popularity.
- Windows 10 reaches end-of-support; joke exchange about computers exploding.
[12:19–13:04] - Wade & Keeping Secrets
- Wade jokes about almost leaking Mark’s wedding but managed to hold off for once.
- Wade [12:59]: “I could have had the post leaking all the information. It could have been me.”
[13:41–15:20] - Dermatology, Bandages, and Molly’s Help
- Wade describes getting a troublesome mole removed and the awkwardness of Molly tending to his bandaged neck for weeks.
[18:01–19:39] - Bandage Science and Goopy Experiments
- Mark proposes a new type of gelatinous wound covering.
- Recalls his own experience healing burned hands and muses on the balance between sterility and airflow in wound healing.
[19:40–22:20] - The Pig Bladder Finger Tale
- The hosts realize they’ve discussed the myth of pig bladders helping fingers regrow before.
- Mark [22:12]: “The fact that I have zero recollection of this conversation and it’s so horrific and apparently there’s evidence...”
[22:32–23:35] - The Repetitive Nature of Adult Storytelling
- Discussion about how as friends age, they end up telling the same stories every time they meet.
Falling Down, Getting Older, and Cuddling Trash
[23:41–26:30] - Couple Camouflage & Clumsy Aging
- Wade and Molly accidentally wore the same Red Hot Chili Peppers t-shirt.
- Both had recent mishaps falling down stairs.
[24:27–25:54] - Molly’s “Garbage Pillow” Fall
- Molly fell in the garage; Wade’s rescue was peppered with concern and post-incident humor.
- Wade [25:01]: “I opened the garage door and Molly is just sprawled out on the garage floor laying on top of a bag of garbage, like it’s a pillow.”
[25:54–29:42] - The Ethics of Documenting Everything
- The group debates if people should film every moment, even distressing ones, with Mark reflecting on cultural differences around recording life events.
The Oxford 3000 Games Begin
Game 1: Say It Backwards
[29:44–35:35] - The Setup
- Bob introduces the Oxford 3000, a set of essential English words.
- Players must say a word backwards for the other to guess. Points go to the clue-giver for a successful guess.
Memorable Exchanges
- Mark [32:18]: “Mominim.” (Minimum, backwards)
- Wade [32:22]: “Mumminym.”
- Instantly correct guesses for simple words, but confusion arises with longer ones like “friendship” and “psychologist.”
[36:07–38:40] - The Difficulty Escalates
- Longer words and unfamiliarities create chaotic phonetic messes.
- Mark and Wade’s repeated struggles and near misses become a running joke.
[42:06–45:14] - Greatest Hits: “Meanwhile” Meltdown
- The word "meanwhile" causes a meltdown.
- Mark [44:39]: “There’s no way. There’s no way. That’s—meanwhile.”
- Wade’s backwards pronunciation ("elihuanaim") leaves Mark baffled.
[54:02–55:13] - "Psychologist" in Reverse
- Mark attempts “psychologist” backwards with exaggerated theatricality.
- Wade: “Why are you like, French Dracula?”
Game Commentary
- The challenge reveals different guessing strategies—Mark focusing on phonetics, Wade on individual letters and structure.
Game 2: "Hotter or Colder" Word Deduction
[55:34–61:18] - How It Works
- Wade receives a secret word, Mark guesses, and Wade says if guesses are “hotter” (closer in meaning) or “colder.”
- The process quickly devolves into confusion as Mark guesses words by sound similarity, while Wade clues based on semantic connections.
Play Highlights
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The chain: “Banana → Tree (warmer) → Dirt (colder) → Terror (warmer) → Tarantula (warmer) → … → Bear.”
- Mark: “How does fuck play into all this?”
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Mark finally lands on the secret word, “bear”, after a meandering logic path involving bananas, trauma, and animals.
[62:24–65:50] - Wade’s Turn: Male Archetypes
- Wade gets “male” as the word; Mark lasers in: “People → Person → Adult → Man → Beard → Mustache → Male.”
- Mark: “How can I keep getting warmer at this point without getting warmer?”
Scoring, Wheel Spins, and Winner’s Speech
[66:36–69:08] - Results
- Bob tallies up the points live, giving credit for wordplay, storytelling, and even excellent word choices (“adhesed”).
- Final Score: Mark wins 12–10.
Memorable Winner’s Speech
- Mark [68:48]: “What a fucking day. My fucking vocabulary is fucking enormous, just like the rest of me except my height. Fuck that. And I hate that fucking son of a bitch up there that made me short, but I fucking won, so I’ll fucking take it.”
Wade’s Consolation
- Wade [69:10]: “I liked saying things backwards more than I liked trying to think what Mark was trying to say backwards. Overall, a good time. That’s a fun game. And it’s a hell of a brain teaser…”
[69:56] - Credit to Mandy
- The Oxford 3000 game originated from Mandy’s suggestion, with the hosts thanking her.
Notable Quotes & Moments
- Mark [08:22]: “I’m married now, so I’m a husband like that.”
- Mark [19:49]: “It’s not Resident Evil, dude. You can’t just goop my hands.”
- Wade [24:48]: “Molly is just sprawled out on the garage floor laying on top of a bag of garbage, like it’s a pillow.”
- Bob [45:02]: “Meanwhile. You're right.”
- Wade [42:45]: “Where’d the hua go? ... It's gone.”
- Mark [68:48]: “My fucking vocabulary is fucking enormous, just like the rest of me except my height. Fuck that.”
Timestamps of Important Segments
- 03:36–08:00: Opening banter, podcast meta-jokes, and convention stories.
- 08:22–11:22: Mark’s marriage and internet speculation.
- 13:41–15:20: Wade’s medical updates (neck mole).
- 19:40–22:20: Pig bladder finger regrowth debate.
- 24:27–25:54: Molly’s “garbage pillow” incident.
- 29:44–54:02: Oxford 3000 backwards word game (multiple rounds).
- 55:34–65:50: Hotter or colder guessing game (bear/male).
- 66:36–69:08: Wheel spins, scoring, and winner’s speeches.
Tone & Takeaway
Distractible is in full force here, blending gleeful chaos with genuine affection. Whether unraveling linguistic knots or reflecting on shared aging and friendship, the trio consistently delivers a mix of sharp wit, playful roasting, and oddball insight. The Oxford 3000 challenge is a brain-melting highlight, further proof that in the Distractible universe, brilliance and absurdity are never far apart.