Ep. 181: The 2024(ish) Listener Tournament Finals: Khalil Goodman & Kristen Pilotte

Summary

Go Fact Yourself Ep. 181: The 2024(ish) Listener Tournament Finals: Khalil Goodman & Kristen Pilotte (October 17, 2025)

Main Theme / Purpose

This special Zoom-recorded episode is the finals of Go Fact Yourself’s "2024(ish) Listener Tournament." Host J. Keith van Straaten and co-host Helen Hong bring together two loyal listeners, Khalil Goodman and Kristen Pilotte, to compete in a high-spirited trivia showdown, complete with deep-dive segments into their pop-culture passions and special guest appearances by renowned experts—including the voices of X-Men ’97 and a real-life astronaut. The episode embodies GFY’s blend of game show energy, fandom celebration, and feel-good community spirit.

Episode Structure & Major Segments

1. Contestant Introductions & Backgrounds

Khalil Goodman:

• Photographer, writer, and PR professional from Barbados.
• Hosted cosplay competitions at AnimeCon, Barbados.
• A MaxFun superfan—loves shows like Depresh Mode, Black People Love Paramore, Maximum Film.
• Big X-Men fan (has a Storm tattoo!), also loves Garbage and Agatha Christie.
  • [04:18] “I have been a photographer since high school. [...] I do a lot of portraiture and then writing. It's usually for those things as well. I write for magazines, but my day job, I work in public relations.” – Khalil [E]
• Discovered GFY through Helen Hong on Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me!

Kristen Pilotte:

• Government contractor and aerospace engineer, Maryland/Virginia area.
• Likes to watch cooking/baking shows (fav: Great British Bake Off).
• Lover and supporter of podcasts, including Sawbones, Judge John Hodgman, and Secretly Incredibly Fascinating.
• Trivia topics: DuckTales video game, US manned space program, Grey’s Anatomy (the show).
  • [07:39] “This is a very bad time of year for spacecraft. It is what's called the eclipse season or the equinox season. And there's a lot of solar activity and things changing in the space environment on vehicles. So this is the time where things happen.” – Kristen [G]
• Is truly on-call for space emergencies during the episode!

2. What’s The Difference? Segment (11:10)

Khalil: Etiquette vs. Manners

• Khalil: “Etiquette is a prescribed set of rules... Manners are socially or culturally understood but not set out in a strict code.”
• Kristen agrees, adds that etiquette includes “silly things” like which fork to use.
• Helen’s ruling: 1 point to Khalil for etiquette definition, not quite full on manners.

Kristen: Cause of Death vs. Manner of Death

• Kristen: Cause is what literally made you die (e.g., bled out); manner is how it came about (e.g., hatchet attack).
• Helen’s ruling: 2 points for Kristen, nailed both.

Score after this round: Khalil 1, Kristen 2 (15:02)

3. Deep-Dive Trivia Rounds – Special Interests

A. Khalil: X-Men ‘97 ([16:41]–[40:39])

Why X-Men ‘97?

• Lifelong X-Men fan—started reading age 6.
• Watched original animated series via Canadian VHS sent to Barbados (“Colonialism!” jokes).
• “I have Storm on my arm.” – Khalil [17:25] (shows tattoo)
• Loves new series for its mature storytelling and Barbadian representation (voice actress Alison Sealy-Smith voices Storm).

Trivia Questions – (5 for 5 Correct!)

1. On what streaming service can you find X-Men ‘97?
   • A: Disney+
   • “It's on Disney, Helen.” – Khalil [21:11]
2. What sport are the X-Men playing in the pilot when Scott & Jean announce their departure?
   • A: Basketball
3. Which character does NOT appear in episode 8’s cameos: Silver Samurai, Mr. Fantastic, Polaris, Omega Red, Spider-Man?
   • A: Mr. Fantastic
4. The fictional island Genosha is closest to which real continent?
   • A: Africa
   • “That is correct. No hint needed.” – Helen [23:13]
5. In a YouTube Yule log video, what is Professor Xavier holding in his portrait? (after hint)
   • A: Candy cane

Expert Round + Memorable Moments ([24:55]–[40:39])

• Expert Guests: Isaac Robinson-Smith (Bishop), Holly Chou (Jubilee), Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm).
• Khalil knows Alison personally from her theater work in Barbados!
  • “Wait, you do?” – J. Keith [26:34]
  • “My first job was as a journalist, and Alison did a play in Barbados… That’s how we met.” – Khalil [27:11]
• Experts share stories of representation in fandom, emotional resonance of Storm for Black fans, and excitement about being part of multi-generational, multicultural X-Men ’97 cast.
  • “The first time somebody stood in front of me in tears because of X Men and the role that I played, it was surreal." – Alison Sealy-Smith [33:55]

Score after Round: Khalil 9, Kristen 2

B. Kristen: The U.S. Manned Space Program ([41:10]–[60:47])

Why US Manned Space?

• Grew up near NASA Goddard, loved space center trips, wrote thesis on Hubble servicing missions.
• Enjoys Apollo 13 the movie (“seen it twice in the last month!”).
• Advocates for “human-rated” or “personned” programs over outdated “manned” terminology.

Trivia Questions – (4.5/5 Correct)

1. Artemis mission’s Bezos partner?
   • A: Amazon
2. Greek god, twin of Artemis, namesake of early NASA moon missions?
   • A: Apollo
3. Cap astronauts wear under helmets, named for comic strip character?
   • A: Snoopy (“Those are called Snoopy caps.” – Kristen [47:07])
4. Which is not the name of a real astronaut: Bill McCool, Brent Jett, Kenneth Mars, Linda Godwin, William Reddy? (After hint)
   • A: Kenneth Mars
5. Johnson Space Center Saturn V rocket’s unique quality?
   • She guesses “used in the movies”; answer is “built of entirely flight-certified hardware”—given half point.

Expert Round: Astronaut Don Thomas! ([50:50]–[60:47])

• Don Thomas: 4 shuttle missions, 44 days in space, lifelong dream.
• Memorable moment: “When the engines come up to full power... I was just screaming inside my helmet, yahoo!” [56:03–56:10]
• His pizza in space:
  • Shuttle: Columbia (Kristen guessed Atlantis)
  • Topping: Double pepperoni (Kristen guessed pepperoni, got it right)
  • Company that delivered pizza to the ISS: Pizza Hut (not Domino’s)
• Story: One woodpecker drilled 205 holes in shuttle insulation and delayed the launch! [57:54]
• Sweet bonding: Kristen got to go inside Columbia in 1997.

Score after Round: Khalil 9, Kristen 7.5

4. Fast Facts Lightning Round (61:12)

Trivia about Ozzy Osbourne and his quirky ads (featuring “cans of Liquid Death iced tea containing his DNA” for $450!). Both play briskly, with Khalil extending his lead.

Final Score:

• Khalil Goodman: 13 points (winner)
• Kristen Pilotte: 8.5 points

5. Plugs, Acknowledgments & Closing Warmth

• Khalil promotes LGBTQ+ group “Equals Barbados” and encourages supporting creators (and specifically Go Fact Yourself).
• Kristen: Reviews and word-of-mouth help podcasts! Offers up her IG for cat photos.

Host & co-host signoffs:

• Helen Hong: “Y’all know why [my handle is] FunnyHelenHong? That's right, it's funny.”
• J. Keith: “You can hire me for your trivia event at bigquizthing.com.”

---

Memorable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• [17:25] “I have Storm on my arm.” – Khalil, displaying his X-Men tattoo
• [26:24] “Well, yeah, we go back a ways... Yes, I am from Barbados and, and Khalil and I know each other and it was just one of those things.” – Alison Sealy-Smith
• [33:55] "The first time somebody stood in front of me in tears because of X Men and the role that I played, it was surreal. It was like an out of body experience." – Alison Sealy-Smith
• [56:03] “You're just screaming inside your helmet, yahoo.” – Dr. Don Thomas (on shuttle launch)
• [57:54] “One woodpecker. 205 holes. That's one persistent woodpecker.” – Dr. Don Thomas

---

Episode vibes and tone

Friendly, irreverent, joyful, and deeply heartfelt—respectful of fandoms, diverse experiences, and the value of nerdy knowledge. The show highlights both the fun and the emotional depth of pop culture passion, with contestants, hosts, and experts all cheering each other on.

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Section Summary

1. Intros: Meet Khalil (Barbadian creative, cosplayer, X-Men superfan) and Kristen (aerospace engineer, bake-off watcher, space nerd).
2. What's the Difference? Khalil and Kristen go head to head on definitions—etiquette vs. manners, cause vs. manner of death.
3. Khalil Deep-Dive: X-Men ’97, perfect trivia, visited by actual cast (Isaac Robinson-Smith, Holly Chou, Alison Sealy-Smith). Emotional sharing on representation and fandom.
4. Kristen Deep-Dive: U.S. Manned Space Program. Strong space trivia, and surprise expert—astronaut Dr. Don Thomas (“pizza in space”).
5. Lightning Round: Silly rapid-fire facts about Ozzy Osbourne ads.
6. Wrap-up: Khalil wins and splits the glory. Both contestants warm, community-focused, and supportive. Final plugs and encouragement to support the arts and each other.

---

This episode is ideal for listeners who love deep, personable dives into fandom, the thrill of trivia, and unexpected moments of connection. It’s a celebration of expertise of every kind—from arm tattoos to astronautics!

Transcript

[A]

Hey everybody. So excited for you to hear this brand new episode of Go Fact Yourself featuring two of our loyal listeners as guests. We recorded it over Zoom, but of course we've got a whole bunch of live audience shows coming up and would love for you to be there on Sunday, October 26th at 4:00 clock at the Crawford in Pasadena. Dermot Mulroney versus Lonnie Love. Then in November, I'm going on a honeymoon. I'll be back in December. And we've got shows at the Crawford on December 6th with Nana Visitor, on December 13th with Paul Feig and Anjali Ben Bimoney. I'll learn how to pronounce it by then. And back next year, Sunday, January 4th at 4 o' clock at the Crawford with Amanda Gorman, then the 15th at the Crawford with guests to be announced and two shows in New York City, Saturday, January 24th at Symphony Space and Monday, January 26th at the JCC. All info and tickets and the latest updates are available at our [e-mail] thanks so much for listening and enjoy the show. Here's Helen.

[B]

Are you a real know it all? Do you annoy your family by shouting the answers while watching Jeopardy? Do you drive people crazy when you start a sentence with well, actually, well, guess what? You can go Fact yourself. Hey everyone. Welcome to a special listener tournament episode of Go Fact Yourself, the show where we quiz the special smartest people we know and find out why they love what they love. I'm Helen Hong. And now, recording from our homes in Los Angeles, here's our moderator, J. Keith Van Straten.

[A]

Thank you so much. Hello, Helen.

[B]

Hello, J. Keith.

[A]

It has been, I think, over a year since we did a show entirely on Zoom. But there was a very good reason for this one, because this is our listener tournament finals.

[C]

Bew. Pew.

[D]

Pew.

[C]

Pew.

[D]

Pew.

[A]

This is the culmination of a tournament where people who have contributed to our show through the Max fun [e-mail] anyone who did that was eligible to enter into the tournament. And all of those people got to play a series of games and puzzles and then it was whittled down and then those people got to have little one on one quizzes and interviews with us. And it came down to these two wonderful people that you're about to hear. I should point out that technically this is the 2024 Listener Tournament.

[B]

We're nothing if not on time.

[A]

Yeah, I'm gonna take the hit for that. We are actually calling this the 2024 ish tournament. This was supposed to have taken place last year. It turns out that bringing a show to public radio and planning a wedding kind of takes up a lot of attention and time. So this got delayed a little bit. But I think you're gonna be very pleased with this episode. And of course, that means that the 2025 tournament should be available as an episode sometime before 2028. So, listeners, if you would like to play in a listener tournament and perhaps end up on an actual episode of Go Fact yourself, make sure to listen for the max fund drive in 2026, where we will be giving that opportunity to anyone who supports our show as a new upgrading or boosting member. All right, let's get to it. Today on GoFact yourself, two guests will compete to answer questions about facts they know, facts they may not know, and frankly, facts they should know. Plus, we'll meet actual experts on two very different topics. And finally, we'll declare one of our guests the winner of today's show. We'll let's get started and meet today's very special guest, Helen, who is up first.

[B]

He is a photographer and writer who works in public relations and communications on Barbados and is a finalist in the 2024ish go fact yourself listener tournament. It's Khalil Goodman.

[A]

Hello, Khalil.

[E]

Hi, guys. Hello. So amazing to be here.

[A]

Oh, it's so wonderful to have you. And congratulations on being a finalist in the tournament.

[E]

Thank you so much.

[A]

Well, tell us about the photography and the writing you do on Barbados.

[E]

Right, so I'm in Barbados island in the Caribbean. I have been a photographer since high school. I photograph stuff for, like, commercials and magazines here in the Caribbean and, like, travel photography. I do a lot of portraiture and then writing. It's usually for those things as well. I write for magazines, but my day job, I work in public relations.

[B]

When you first joined our zoom call, your background was a beach. And I literally thought you were on the beach in Barbados. And I was like, oh, come on, dude.

[F]

Yeah, I had that background.

[E]

And then I was like, this would be unfair to just rub it in everyone's faces that it is very sunny and bright today. It's beautiful here in Barbados. Yes.

[A]

Well, one of the other things that you do is you host cosplay competitions. Can you tell us a little bit about how those work?

[E]

Sure. So Barbados has a popular culture expo that has been running for several years since 2013 called AnimeCon. And I'm not the producer of that, but they have hired me to host the cosplay competition several years In a row. I didn't do it the last two years, but I did it for about seven of those years, and we only stopped when Covid happened. So I do cosplay as well, but only because I'm on stage and there's all these other costumes. So then I started making costumes.

[B]

What do you cosplay as?

[E]

I've cosplayed as different incarnations of Doctor who. I've cosplayed as characters from Steven Universe. I've cosplayed as characters from X Men. Just different things so that I'm not the only person on stage not wearing a costume.

[A]

So how do we get people to cosplay as Helen and me?

[B]

Excellent question, Jakey.

[A]

Yes, I know it's been on everyone's mind.

[E]

I mean, I will put it out to the cosplay community here and ask them what we need to do.

[A]

Okay, please get back to us on that.

[B]

For me, Glasses.

[A]

Yes, for both of us. Yeah. Last thing I want to ask about, you are here in part because you are a Max Fun supporter of our show as well as going to this tournament. And it's not just our show. What are the other shows that you love supporting on Max Fun?

[E]

I support. First of all, I want to say I do love this show. This show's great. And I got to this show through Helen Hong, Actually, what I heard Helen on. Wait, wait, don't tell me. And I was like, oh, Helen is so funny. And she's like, co hosting this other show, so let me go find that.

[B]

My evil plan has worked.

[E]

Yes. I think Depression mode and black people love Paramore and Maximum Film, I think, are the other three that I'm supporting.

[A]

Wonderful. And have any of those shows let you be a guest on the show? No. No. And that is why Go Fact yourself is your favorite. Well, thanks so much for being here. Khalil Goodman, everyone. Helen. Against whom will Khalil be competing?

[B]

She is a government contractor and aerospace engineer in Columbia, Maryland, and a finalist in the 2024ish go fact yourself listener tournament. It's Kristin Pilot.

[A]

Hello, Kristen. Welcome to the show.

[G]

Hello. Thank you guys for having me. It is so lovely to meet everybody here.

[A]

It's wonderful to have you and congratulations on getting this far in the tournament. Tell us about being a government contractor.

[G]

Well, I live in normally I live in Northern Virginia. Currently I'm in central Maryland. And if you live in one of those areas, that is a thing you do. If you don't work directly for the government, you work for a government contractor. Or local government in some form. So I go to work and I do aerospace engineering things. And then I come home and. Or sometimes I'm gonna do it all from my couch. So.

[B]

Ooh, aerospace engineering from your couch. Who knew?

[G]

It's a thing.

[A]

Yeah. That must be a very modern couch. Well, you warned us before we started recording that you were actually on call. We were recording this on a Sunday afternoon, but that doesn't matter. At any point, you could get a call that they need some aerospace engineering.

[G]

This is a very bad time of year for spacecraft. It is what's called the eclipse season or the equinox season. And there's a lot of solar activity and things changing in the space environment on vehicles. So this is the time where things happen.

[B]

What? That's crazy. So at any point during this call, you could be like, oh, I gotta go. There's something happening on Mars. Gotta go. Bye.

[G]

For our mutual benefit. I hope not. Okay.

[A]

But I'm glad that you are available if we need it. I'm not exactly sure what you work on, but can your work be seen in space right now?

[G]

Yes, Depending on what kind of telescope you have. Yes.

[A]

That's so cool.

[B]

That's so cool.

[A]

And is there some sort of secrecy to your work that we are being deliberately a little vague about?

[G]

Actually, most of my work currently is completely out in the open. I work on commercial communication satellites mostly, although I am currently working on a human rated mission.

[B]

What's a human rated mission?

[G]

That's a mission where humans might go on theoretically one day.

[B]

Humans in space?

[G]

Yes.

[B]

Right now you're just doing machines in space. But any.

[G]

Right now I've got mostly just, you know, effectively robots in space or very dumb robots in space. But yeah, humans. Humans are cool.

[A]

You told me that you like watching cooking and baking competition shows. Do you prefer the nice gentle ones or the cutthroat one?

[G]

Generically speaking, I prefer the nice gentle ones. So Great British Bake Off. Very, very mellow.

[H]

Yes.

[G]

Top Chef has become more mellow as it's gotten more seasoned, if you will. Back in the day, they were a little bit more cutthroat. But I do every now and then like watching some of the Food Network ones, which are slightly more evil.

[A]

Yeah. A little loud. The louder ones. And have these shows inspired you to cook?

[G]

Well, I've always been cooking and I've tried to bake, and if I can read a recipe, I can do it, but I cannot go off on my own on the. On the baking side of it.

[A]

Well, you, of course, also are a Max Fund supporter, which is one of the things that made you eligible to enter our tournament. Can you tell us about what inspired you to support Max Fun and other shows that you support?

[G]

Well, what inspired me to support Max Fund was I'm a big believer in supporting creators whose content you like, whether it's musicians, whether it's media, artists, whether it's podcasters. You know, support local and support creators, I think are two big things to do. And then what are some other shows I like? I listen to Saw Bumps pretty regularly. I have listened off and on to judge John Hodgman since his inception, and I've listened to secretly Incredibly fascinating. And so those are the three I primarily do, but I dabble here and there sometimes.

[A]

And again, have any of those shows had you be a guest?

[D]

No.

[G]

And I think, you know, Sawbones would be the closest match aside from trivia stuff, because I've had a lot of medical things in my life. I could talk for hours about that. But we won't.

[A]

We won't. Well, we're so happy that both of you are here. Thank you, Kristen. Pilot. Well, Kristen and Khalil, we asked each of you to provide us with a few topics outside your field of work that you know and love. Khalil, for you, you said that was the animated series X Men 97, the band Garbage, and the work of Agatha Christie. Whereas, Kristen, for you, you said you enjoy the DuckTales video game, the US manned space program, and Grey's Anatomy, the TV show, not the book. Well, later on, we're gonna ask each of you some in depth trivia questions about one of those topics. But first we're gonna get your thoughts on something you might know nothing about. It is time to split some hairs with our what's the difference round. We'll have one question for each of you, each worth up to two points. If either of you gives an incorrect or incomplete answer, the other person has a chance to steal your topic. Today, mind you'd Manners. First up in mind you'd manners is Khalil. Khalil, while both ought to be minded if you want to get along in society, what's the difference between etiquette and manners? Etiquette and manners.

[E]

Oh, okay, let me take a stab at this. I think etiquette is a like prescribed set of rules that are given on how one is supposed to behave. Like a certain set of manners. And then manners are those things which are maybe socially or culturally understood, but maybe are not set out in a strict code. We just Understand them based within the culture.

[A]

Within the culture. All right, we've got Khalil's answer. We don't know yet if he's entirely correct. Kristin, you could try to steal some points if you want to add or change anything.

[G]

Well, A, I want to say this is much easier when I'm listening to it in my car.

[E]

Yes, very much so.

[G]

B, I think Khalil's pretty spot on. But I will say that etiquette, I think, also includes silly things. Silly things? Things like which fork you're supposed to use when. When you're eating, if you're eating at a super fancy place. But otherwise, I think I should have got it spot on, so I'm not gonna try to rebut that.

[E]

Thanks, Kristen.

[A]

All right, well, this segment needs to excuse itself. Let's go to Helen Hong at the judges table for the facts.

[B]

Here are the facts. Etiquette is a set of outside rules governing proper behavior. Manners are that behavior which express an inside degree of character or way of being.

[A]

That's right. You can follow all the rules of etiquette but do so in a manner that is unpleasant. Or you can break all the rules but still be polite and likable. And who doesn't like a polite rule breaker like Hannibal Lecter? Helen, how did our guest do?

[B]

I think I want to give Khalil one point for etiquette because you did say prescribed set of rules. You didn't quite get manners correct. So one point for Khalil, one point for Khalil.

[A]

Very nice. All right, up next in mind, you'd manners is Kristen. Kristen, if your etiquette is really bad, you might end up killing someone. You know that old saw. But what's the difference between a cause of death and a manner of death? A cause of death and a manner of death.

[G]

A cause of death, I think, is like, literally what caused it. Like you had you bled out or you had a massive loss of blood or whatever. Whereas a manner of death is what caused you to bleed out. Maybe you got taken to with a hatchet for some reason. And that seems really dark now that I've said it out loud.

[A]

But you said it very poetically. Who doesn't love to be taken to with a hatchet? All right, we've got Kristen's very violent answer. Khalil, anything you'd like to add or change? And, Khalil, by the way, one of your topics, Agatha Christie, might help you with this.

[E]

Yeah. Okay, well, here's something. The cause of death is what the medical examiner coroner has to say is your death. Whereas the manner of death is just the mode by which you got to that cause.

[A]

The mode that which you got to the cause. All right, well, this segment needs an autopsy. Let's go to Helen Hong at the judges table for the facts.

[B]

Here are the facts. The cause of a death is a very specific injury or disease that causes death, like a heart attack. The manner of death describes the circumstances which led to the cause of death, like a drug overdose which causes a heart attack. There are actually only five manners of death. Natural accident, suicide, homicide, and undetermined.

[A]

Ooh, undetermined. That's right. For example, an arrow through the head would be a cause of death, but the manner of death might be from an intentional shooting of that arrow and therefore a homicide. Or from trying to recreate Steve Martin's arrow through the head gag but not realizing it's a gag. Therefore, that is a wild and crazy and stupid accident. Helen, how did our guest do?

[B]

I think Kristen, you got both parts correct because you said cause is literally what caused it and manner what caused you to literally cause it. So two points for Kristen.

[A]

Two points for Kristen. Very nice. And what is our score at the end of that round? Helen?

[B]

At the end of that round, Khalil Goodman has one point and Kristen Pilot has two points.

[A]

But those scores are bound to change as we move on to questions about topics our guests have chosen for themselves. That's all up ahead when we come back on Go Fact Yourself. We hope you're enjoying this special listener tournament edition of Go Fact Yourself. As a reminder, if you would like to be considered to be a guest on a future listener tournament, make sure you are a member of Maximum Fun and supporting our show, especially during the Max Fun Drive. You can do all of that by going to maximumfun.org join. Also, if you are a member of Maximum Fun, you get access to hundreds, maybe thousands, maybe tens of thousands of hours of bonus content, including from our show. Not only do we put in special bonus content around the time of the Maximum Fun Drive, but we also give you monthly bonus content, outtakes, extras, funny moments, some naughty moments, things that didn't make either the radio show or the podcast that are only available to you, our Max Fun members. So make sure to check out the BoCo, the bonus content available from our show every month. We call it GFY Extras. Do we think you'll like it? There's a good chance.

[B]

Welcome back to Go Fact Yourself with our guests Khalil Goodman and Kristen Pilot. Once again, here's Jakeith Van Stratten.

[A]

Thank you so much, Helen. All right, Khalil, of your many interests, you told us that you know and love the animated series, X Men 97, the band Garbage, and the work of Agatha Christie. Let's find out a little bit more about each of those. First, tell us why you know and love the animated series X Men 97.

[E]

So X Men 97 came out in 2024. It's a continuation of the X Men and animated series, which ran from 1992 to 1997. So like five years. And I have read X Men from the time I was six. I'm 43 now, so I've been reading X Men for a long time.

[A]

Wow.

[E]

Yeah, my dad brought home these comics when I was 6 and it was X Men 143, which is when Kitty Pryde is being chased through a mansion by some, like, dangerous aliens. And it is not something that 6 year old should have read.

[A]

But there.

[E]

Was the character Storm and the character Nightcrawler are in it as well. And I love those characters. I have Storm on my arm.

[B]

Oh, wow, you really do.

[E]

Yeah.

[A]

Khalil's showing us this beautiful tattoo work on his arm.

[B]

That's a full. That's a full arm tattoo. That's big.

[A]

Yeah.

[E]

I have a full sleeve of comic book characters, but mostly they're X Men.

[A]

So what is it about X Men 97 that appeals to you so much?

[E]

Right, sorry, sorry. And So X Men 97 was a continuation of that series. And the original series is very, very good, but it's also very like 90s. And I think because it was now and it's on a channel that streaming, they're allowed to do a little bit more sophisticated sort of storylines as well. And the voice acting is fantastic. So, yeah, I really just liked the continuation.

[A]

Wonderful. All right, next, tell us why you know and love the band Garbage.

[E]

So the band Garbage is. I just really love that band. I've only seen them once, but I have purchased all of their albums. They are fantastic.

[A]

And then finally, tell us what it is that you know and love about the work of Agatha Christie.

[E]

I think most people encounter Agatha Christie because she's like such a prolific author. She sold 2 billion books. And because Barbados is like an ex British colony, those books are everywhere.

[A]

Oh, really? Yeah.

[B]

Colonialism.

[E]

Colonialism. But then she's everywhere. She's in every. I mean, her books were translated to 103 languages. You know, they're still making movies about it, TV shows about it. She has such a big impact all.

[A]

Right, well, to summarize, Khalil, you said you know and love the animated series, X Men 97, the band Garbage, and the work of Agatha Christie. Today we want to quiz you about X Men 97. Okay.

[E]

All right, let's go, let's go.

[B]

Are you nervous? That sounded nervous.

[E]

Oh, yeah, I'm totally nervous. As Kristen said, it's much easier when you're listening to it at home. Like, you know all the answers. You're like, you guys talking back to me is very disconcerting.

[A]

Well, before we get to the quiz, let's talk a little bit more about your love of X Men 97. Can you tell us about how you discovered it and how is it different than maybe some of the other X Men properties that are out there?

[E]

Okay, yes. So the original series, X Men, the animated series in the 90s, they were on VHS. It was showing on Fox, but we didn't have Fox. I didn't have cable, and my uncle would send the VHS from Canada to us. And so I watched it on vhs. And so then I discovered that this series was going on. And then of course, I was reading the comics when I was a kid, so it was like so great. And one of the voice actors for Storm, which is the character that I probably love the most, there was more than one voice actor for her, but the main one, Alison Seely Smith, is Barbadian. So she's a Canadian based actress, but she's Barbadian. And so that was another sort of like in way of getting in, like, oh, this Barbadian actor is doing this voice of this character. X Men 97 started in 2024, so like 30 years later and it continues as if the show had never ended. And it's just a very high level show.

[A]

I don't think you need to be nervous. It sounds like you know the show very, very well.

[B]

I was gonna say, Jay, Keith, we shouldn't even bother with this quiz. Cause he.

[E]

No, please do. Please do.

[A]

Well, I think we will. Well, just ahead, Khalil, we're enlist the help of a bonafide expert in your topic with an expert level question worth up to three points. But before that, to let you show your love even more, here are your five trivia questions about your topic, each worth one point. And if you want it, you're allowed a hint for any two of these five questions. Now, Kristen, do listen closely because if Khalil answers incorrectly, you could steal. By the way, Kristen, how much do About X Men 97?

[G]

1997 was a good Year.

[B]

That's all I know.

[A]

All right, we'll see if Kahlil lets you in. Here's question number one. X Men 97 is no Saturday morning cartoon. In fact, it's not tied to any day or time because it is streaming. On what streaming service can you find X Men 97? Along with shows like Andor and Or movies like the Little Mermaid?

[E]

It's on Disney, Helen.

[B]

That is correct.

[A]

That is correct for the point. Very nice. Fun fact. The original X Men animated series ran on the Fox Kids Network from 1992-97, and X Men 97 picks up where it left off. Apparently, Fox Kids Network could not survive without the X Men and ceased to exist shortly after the original show ended. You did not need the hint for that. But, Helen, what would that hint have been?

[B]

It's not Fox Minus.

[A]

It's Disney Plus. All right, this is the show you signed up for, guys.

[E]

Yeah.

[A]

Here is question number two. In the first episode of the series, Gene and Scott announced they are leaving the X Men. What sport are the other members playing when this announcement is made?

[E]

Oh, they're playing basketball, Ellen.

[B]

That is correct.

[A]

That is correct. Two for two. Fun fact. The X Men players point out in the episode that they won't use their powers when they are playing basketball, which is too bad, because I'd love to see Wolverine dribble with those claws. All right, you're two for two, Khalil. Here is question number three. Episode eight of X Men 97 is full of cameos from other comic book characters. But which one of the following characters does not make an appearance? Is it Silver Samurai, Mr. Fantastic, Polaris, Omega Red, or Spider Man? Or as my people say, Spiderman?

[E]

So I think Polaris is there, and I think Omega Red is there, but I can't remember the others. So I think Mr. Fantastic is not in it.

[A]

Helen.

[B]

That is correct.

[A]

That is correct. Very nice. Nice elimination there. Fun fact. Of the characters mentioned, Polaris is the only one who was once on the X Men team. She appears in a flash forward as an older woman, and she looks very good for her age. And I hope it's okay for me to say that about a woman and a fictional animated character. All right, Khalil, you are three for three. Here's question four. You have both of your hints available. The island of Genosha is supposed to be a refuge for the X Men, but it ends up being a death trap. What real continent on Earth is the fictional island of Genosha closest to Africa? Helen?

[B]

That is correct.

[A]

That is Correct. No hint needed. Well done. Fun fact. Writer Chris Claremont co created the island of Genosha in 1988. Chris Claremont was an expert on episode 38 of GoFact herself. In the topic of Chris Claremont, you do not need the hint for that one either. But, Helen, what would that hint have been?

[B]

You have a 1 in 7 chance.

[A]

Thank you so much, Helen Hong. That would not have been the real hint. All right, Khalil, you have a chance to go 5 for 5 if you can get this question correct. While waiting for another season, fans of X Men 97 got a little treat. A YouTube video of a Yule log burning in a fireplace at Professor Xavier's school. Above the mantel decorated with Christmas stockings, there's a portrait of the professor. What item is he holding in that portrait?

[E]

Okay, that I will definitely need the hint for.

[A]

All right, Helen, how about that first hint?

[B]

It won't help you walk, but it might freshen your breath at Christmas time.

[E]

He's holding a candy cane, Helen.

[B]

That is correct.

[A]

Khalil Goodman is five for five. Okay, very nice. Fun fact. As the video progresses, various items are stolen from the scene, including Christmas ornaments and that candy cane. If only we knew a team of crime fighters who could help. All right, Khalil, you obviously did very well in that round, but now here is your expert level question that requires multiple answers. It is time for your cluster fact. We'll be bringing on an expert to discuss your response. Khalil. X Men 97 is filled with spectacular animation, but the show would feel pretty empty without the incredibly talented voice cast. For up to three points, which main characters on X Men 97 are voiced by Isaac Robinson Smith, Holly Chao, and Allison Seeley Smith.

[E]

Okay, so Isaac is the voice actor for Bishop, Holly is the voice actor for Jubilee, and Allison Seely Smith is the voice actor for Storm.

[A]

All right, no hesitation. Let's see how you did. Helen is taking note of those answers. We have an expert on hand and can tell us for sure. In fact, we have several. Helen, who do we have tonight?

[B]

Joining us tonight from Ontario, Canada, and Los Angeles, California, are three actors whose many accomplishments include providing voices for three main characters on X Men 97. It's Isaac Robinson Smith, Holly Chow, and Alison Sealy Smith.

[E]

Get out.

[A]

Hello, everybody. So cool.

[E]

Hi, Alison.

[A]

Nice to see you. And there's Holly. And there's Isaac. Isaac and Holly. Can you say hello as well?

[E]

Yeah.

[F]

How's it going, Khalil?

[E]

Good to see you.

[G]

Hello.

[E]

So glad to see you guys.

[A]

A big smile on Khalil's. Face. And we'll get to hear from him in a moment. But first, my goodness. The three of you have done voices for dozens of video games and animated projects, as well as some live action work as well. This includes for Isaac, the Eyes of Wakanda and Phineas and Ferb, for Holly the Mighty Morphin, Power Rangers and Blue Eyes Samurai, and for Alicent, Delilah and Julius and Spider man or Spiderman, the Animated Series, among many, many others. It's so wonderful that you're all joining us today. And Allison Khalil was noting that you actually have a connection to Khalil and not just because you are from Barbados.

[C]

Well, yeah, we, we, we go back a ways. And yes, I am from Barbados and, and Khalil and I know each other and it was just one of those things.

[A]

Wait, you do?

[C]

Yeah, because you always get upset because, you know, somebody says, oh, you're from Barbados. Do, you know, so and so like going, you know, yes, it's a tiny little island, but come on, they 300,000 of us. No, I don't know everybody that. And then he said, yes, the, you know, the guest who's going to be on, his name is Khalil and he's from Barbados. And I'm like, you know, I'm just gonna take a wild shot at this. What is his last name? You lie. And I went full baging on them.

[A]

Khalil.

[C]

Khalil.

[G]

Good.

[B]

My lord of his mercy.

[E]

It's not a setup. It's not a setup. But my first job before I worked in PR and my first job was as a journalist, and I worked arts and culture, so entertainment. And Alison did a play in Barbados back when she was still based in Canada. And so we met that way because I was covering the play. And then for a short period, Allison actually worked at developing culture in Barbados at the National Cultural Foundation. So then we would interact because I went on to work for the State Department. I worked at the US Embassy in Barbados. And so I was working on culture. And so we would still interact. But, you know, I had known her when I was a, when I was a kid doing Storm. So then it was like a way of not being like this fan of, like, I love your stuff. But we did meet each other. And so, yeah, I've known Allison for a few years.

[B]

You had to keep your cool and not fangirl and embarrass you.

[E]

Yeah, exactly.

[A]

You didn't show me your shoulder tattoo of her character. No, no, no, no, no, no.

[E]

Like, hey, do you know that happened yeah.

[B]

Hey, btw, you're on my arm right now.

[A]

Well, that is not the only connection here, because, Holly, you and Helen have a connection.

[E]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah.

[H]

So in 2019, I played the lead of a pilot that if it had gotten picked up, I would have been the series lead of an ABC family sitcom about me and my crazy family, including my aunties, Helen Hong and Kelly Hu.

[A]

Oh, that's so fun. And Kelly Hu has been a guest on our show as well. What a fun connection.

[B]

Very briefly, I was a very nasty auntie to Holly.

[H]

I think they were pretty normal for Chinese families.

[A]

And, Isaac, you are a stranger to us all.

[F]

Yes. The outlier. That's fine.

[A]

That's all right. We really appreciate you being here as well. I'm glad to be here. Well, I want to ask each of our experts here, how familiar were each of you with X Men before you started playing those characters? Alison didn't have a clue.

[C]

I come from a highly conservative Barbadian family. My old man would simply not allow comics in the house. I was at one of the best girls schools on the island. One, of course, the best Queens College. And everything was about academics. And one read literature, one did not read comics. So I. I didn't. I didn't have a clue. And I remember my audition way back in the 90s, and they were going on and on and trying to feed me stuff about this character. He's a mutant. And I'm going, okay, well, that's interesting. I have no idea how to play a mutant. It is of no help to me whatsoever. And then finally, between all of the descriptors, they finally called her a queen. And I was like, you could have started with that.

[A]

That I can do.

[C]

That I can do.

[A]

And, Holly, what about you? Were you familiar with the X Men universe?

[H]

Oh, very much. Like Khalil, I grew up obsessed. There is a picture of me dressed as Storm for Halloween, circa, like, 1994. You also brought up your first comic, I think 143. And I think I have that somewhere. But when you said that, I. So I don't know where the actual comic book is, but I do have this compilation where X Men 143.

[A]

Holly is holding that up for our camera right now in her hands.

[H]

It's the COVID at least. And then the rest of it anyway. But, yeah, that's a good one. Cause Kitty's alone in the house and sort of just being solipsistic about her life and her friends. And meanwhile, she's being chased by this xenomorph.

[E]

Like Creature, Monster.

[A]

Yeah. And Isaac, where are you on the spectrum between Holly and Allison?

[F]

I have early ish memories of watching the original show, you know, and Fox and kids and all that. And then it really started after I saw the first Spider Man, Tobey Maguire's Spider man in 2002, that like launched my love of Marvel. And so then I got into the comics after that. And then the feature films that Fox did a while ago, I like those too. But so I sort of. And now I've been learning more. I finally have a subscription to Marvel Unlimited, so I'm reading the comics as much as I can on my iPad and everything.

[B]

Oh, we do have a full spectrum between the three of you.

[F]

Yeah.

[B]

Of knowing nothing and being obsessed.

[A]

Well, I know that all of you enjoy connecting with your fans at various conventions or cons. I'm curious what those are like for you. And are there any fan interactions you've had with X Men 97 fans that stand out to you?

[C]

They're amazing. I mean, to me, the fan conventions are the biggest difference between what we did in the 90s and what we're doing now. We simply had absolutely no idea when we were doing this. For me, it was a gig and it was, it was a nice gig and it was just all about getting work. Did I understand that it was the cultural phenomenon that it turned out to be? Absolutely not. But being able to meet the fans is. And to connect with people and have them stand in front of you and tell you stories about what exactly the show means to them. And there, there's so many encounters, but I know the first time somebody stood in front of me in tears because of X Men and the role that I played, it was. It was surreal. It was like an out of body experience. You're standing there and you have no idea that the work that you do could have that profound an impact on another human being. And, and there are all kinds of stories and. But the, the, the ones that touch me, I guess the most are when people who look like me, when, when black people. So the one that really resonated, it's a family was walking past where I was and I saw them stop and they look at the, the poster in the back. There is this beautiful Nathan Zurdi storm in the background and there's me. And they go up and down and then they look and they go. They don't say anything. They mouth these words, thank you. And in that moment are centuries of understanding. Nothing more needs to be said. You just sort of get it and Then, of course, there's the. The white guy who came up to me and who said, I grew up in this little rural town, and I didn't see black people, and people in my town didn't much like black people. And the first time that I saw X Men and I saw a storm, the first thing I thought was, I. I want her to be on my team. I want her to have my back. So it kind of works both ways. And it's just been phenomenal to hear those and make those kind of visceral connections with people.

[A]

Wow. I just got chills hearing that. And for our listeners, all three excerpts that we have, none of them appear to be straight white men. And so I think the representation really must matter to a lot of people. Holly, I saw you nodding along as Alyson was talking.

[H]

Yeah, everything. All of that. You know, when I first started doing conventions, because I've only been doing them about a year because the show is new, I was prepared to not be super central because Alison Court, the OG counterpart, original voice of Jubilee in the 90s animated series, is still doing conventions. And we always like to do conventions next to each other so people can get, you know, both the original and the new. But, you know, that's the person whose work people are responding to when they say, o my God. Voice of my childhood. Including mine. Right.

[C]

But the.

[H]

The number of people that have come up saying how much it means to them that thanks to Amelia Vidal's, like, fantastic character design, the. That the character that Jubilee is now recognizably Asian, and that there's an Asian American actor voicing this character, that when we were first introduced to this character in the 90s, there weren't that many Asian people, and certainly not Asian American characters and certainly not Asian American heroes that we could point to, you know, so that's very meaningful to a lot of people, and it's very meaningful when I get to connect with those people.

[B]

Amen, sister. Amen.

[A]

And, Isaac, you wanted to add.

[F]

Oh, just. It's a story that actually involves Holly. I don't know if you remember this, but we were at lunch before our very first. Our very first panel ever, and I still don't remember which one was which, but there was a father and son that came up. One was dressed as Deadpool, one was dressed as Wolverine. Yeah. You remember this? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And they came up, and they both were like, hey, are you guys. You guys are the voices for the X Men.

[A]

Right?

[F]

And they, like, recognized who we were. We were like, yeah. And then the dad went on to explain how it was cool. Cause he watched the old show when he was younger, and now he's sharing the old show and the new show with his son. And so just, you know, the immediacy of a generational bridge was there. And that continues to happen, which I think is very cool.

[E]

That's so great.

[A]

Well, it's so wonderful to speak with you, but let's get to the reason that we brought you all here as far as our game is concerned. You heard the question that we asked of Khalil. We wanted to know which main characters on X Men 97 are voiced by three names that. I don't know how we would bring them up, but first, we wanted to know which main character on X Men 97 was voiced by Isaac Robinson Smith. Helen, what did Khalil say?

[B]

Khalil said Bishop and Isaac.

[A]

That is correct. That is correct for the point. Big thumbs up from Isaac. All right, next we want to know which main character was voiced by Holly Chow. Helen, what did Khalil say?

[B]

Khalil said Jubilee and Holly.

[H]

That is correct. And I also would have accepted jubilationly.

[A]

Oh, okay. Very generous scoring. All right, that is another point for Khalil. And finally wanted to know which character was voiced by Alison Sealy Smith, what did Khalil say? Helen?

[B]

Khalil said Storm and Allison.

[C]

That would be correct.

[A]

That is correct. A perfect round for Khalil Goodman. Congratulations.

[B]

Khalil, are you freaking out?

[E]

Yeah, pretty much. I'm losing it.

[B]

When the experts first came on the zoom, you looked like you had your head to your hands. I mean, there was stuff going on. What was going on?

[E]

Yeah. You know, it's what the. Okay. What they were saying about representation is so important. Like, the X Men as a comic, as a thing, is all about.

[A]

People.

[E]

Who are discriminated against finding each other, finding a family, and working towards making the world better for these people who are being discriminated against. And that is fantastic. I do work with the LGBT community in Barbados, and I really believe in that. But the representation of having characters and actors embody those X Men characters that are visibly of different races or ethnicities or are not straight is really important, because while it works as a metaphor, you can sometimes have to. And as people of color or as queer people, we're often having to put our experience onto somebody who may not necessarily look like us or who's us. Right. Like, if you're a woman or if you're black person, Asian person, you're usually trying to find the humanity in maybe this way white character or actor on stage. But then having these characters actually be embodied by people who look like those characters is so important for representation because it's easy to say, like, well, they stand for discrimination, but if they all look like Jean Grey or Cyclops, then it's not as easy. And so I just want to say to the three of you, thank you so very much for voicing these characters and doing it so well. I cannot wait to see the next season.

[B]

Oh, man, y' all all got me crying over here.

[A]

Well, it's been so wonderful that all of you have joined us. If people want to find out more about what you all are up to, where can they do that? Alison, where can people find you?

[C]

Well, they can find me on Instagram at Alison Underscore Sealy, Underscore Smith. And I also have a store and you can find that at Alison Seeley Smith at BigCartel. So, yes, I would love to connect with because not everybody can make it to the conventions and I really, really want to connect with fans globally. So that would be the best way to do it.

[A]

Wonderful. And Isaac, how about yourself?

[F]

You can find me at mostly on Instagram these days. IRS Voices is my handle there. So you can find all the stuff I'm up to on that spot.

[A]

Excellent.

[H]

And Holly, to see what upcoming appearances I have at different conventions, you can go to my Instagram. That's holycowhollychow and Chow is spelled C H O U. If you would like to try to get in touch and try to get me at one of your upcoming conventions, you can look at my website, hollychow.com and there's a contact page where you can figure out who to email.

[A]

Let's start a convention and get Holly to come as well as Isaac and Allison. Thank you all for joining us, everyone. Isaac Robinson Smith, Holly Chow, and Alison Sealy Smith, thank you all so much. From the X Men 97. Yay. We did it. Thank you.

[G]

Pleasure.

[H]

And well done, Khalil.

[A]

All right, Helen, what is our score at the end of that round?

[B]

At the end of that emotional round, Kahlil Goodman has nine points and Kristen Pilot has two points with a round of questions for Kristen coming up.

[A]

That's right. We're going to talk with Kristen about a topic she knows about. Plus, later, Khalil and Kristen will go head to head in our fast facts round, all to find a winner on GoFact Yourself.

[B]

Welcome back to Go Fact Yourself with our guests Khalil Goodman and Kristen Pilot. Once Again, here's J. Keith Van Stratten.

[A]

Thank you, Helen. All right, Kristin, of your many interests, you told us that you know and love the DuckTales video game, the US manned space program, and Grey's Anatomy Me. Let's find out a little bit more about each of those. First, tell us what the DuckTales video game means to you.

[G]

So, in the interest of very full disclosure, when you asked me about my categories, I had literally just come from a show the previous night where I heard a. It's actually a saxophone quartet that plays video game music, which is really cool.

[B]

No way.

[C]

Where?

[E]

That's so cool.

[G]

Well, they were playing in the Virginia Ish area, but they are called Project. Anyway, they were really cool. I was listening to them play ducktales among other.

[B]

Stop it. On saxophone.

[G]

Yes, as a saxophone quartet. It was super cool.

[A]

So. But you do you are familiar with the video game?

[B]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[A]

Okay.

[D]

Just making sure.

[G]

So it was front of mind. But the reality is I played the heck out of that game when I was a kid and I was like, oh, this was a great game. I had so much fun. And then when I was reminding myself about the game, I found out that I was not the only one who liked it because apparently it was very well rated among, like, Nintendo Power and Nintendo Life, even in retrospect as like, some of the best games of the NES era. So I was like, oh, that game. I remember having, like, really fond thoughts of it was appreciated by others too. So I thought that was cool, actually.

[A]

Yeah, that's fun to discover. All right, next, tell us why you know and love the US manned space program.

[G]

Well, I guess it's somewhat work adjacent, so I've always been interested. But in reality, I thought I was gonna be a doctor when I grew up, and I just thought space was cool. I grew up living near the Goddard Space Flight center. And so we would go there pretty often. And then highlights of kid vacations were to go to Florida and go to the Kennedy Space center. And just seeing all the people who came before and the people who started the space program and the people who kept it going through the shuttle era and even now into the SpaceX Dragon era and eventually Artemis. It's just so cool. It's just so cool. Science fiction comes to life, really.

[B]

Oh, I love it.

[A]

And then finally, tell us why you love Grey's Anatomy, the TV show.

[G]

It is a show that brings out a lot of emotion and I don't know how the people involved with the show make it through a taping. Sometimes, because some of those episodes, you know, you're bawling through and you're like, oh, my gosh, what am I going to do? So it just, it's got highs and lows, and then it portrays really strong people also, and really strong women in particular. And as a woman who's not, you know, I'm a woman in a technical field where there's not a lot of women, I like to see representation. In other words, places too. So wonderful.

[A]

Not surprisingly, I had not thought of that about Grey's Anatomy, which is why it's so great to hear from so many different voices. All right, well, to summarize, Kristen, you said, you know and love the DuckTales video game, the US manned space program and Grey's Anatomy. Today we want to quiz you about the U.S. manned space program and woman now, I guess. Yes. Well, that actually is one of the questions I wanted to ask. Like, do you, do we still say manned space program or human space program? What's the gender verdict on the.

[G]

So many people still say man space program. And I mean, there are a lot of dudes who have gone up in space and I think still the numbers are in their favor. But actually the people who've spent the longest in space are generally all women. And so that's why earlier today I said human rated program as opposed to saying man space.

[A]

Oh, okay.

[G]

That is the thing.

[A]

Yeah. And just to be clear, I was using that phrase because that's what you originally told me. And so that's what.

[G]

I'm sorry again. Historically, there was a lot of dudes and so Mantis totally works. But also, so I've been in this industry for a very long time and we are all trying to correct a little bit. To use better terms. I still get called one of the guys pretty often, and I've come to terms with it.

[D]

So.

[B]

Okay, I'm voting for personed. The personed.

[G]

There's a lot to be said for that.

[A]

Yeah. All right. And do you have a favorite mission of the manned or human space program?

[G]

I studied the Hubble servicing missions for my thesis because I was researching what kind of grips need to get done to do servicing in space. Satellite servicing in space. So I think those are really cool. I'm also a big fan of Apollo 13, probably because that movie played a very large impact on my life when I was, you know, 13ish years old and watching it in the movie theater for the first time. I've watched it multiple times since, including twice within the last month. So I think that just shows what can really be done and why you should never give up, regardless of what the issue is.

[A]

All right, well, just ahead, Kristen, we're going to enlist the help of a bonafide expert in your topic with a question worth up to three points. But before that, to let you show your love, here are five trivia questions about your topic, each worth one point if you want it. Of course, you're allowed a hint for any two of these five questions. Now, Khalil, do listen closely, because if Kristen answers incorrectly, you could steal. By the way, Khalil, how much do you know about the US Manned space program?

[E]

I'm also a fan of the movie Apollo 13, and that's all I know.

[A]

Okay, well, we'll see if that comes up. And just to be clear, I will be using the phrase US Manned space program because that's what I wrote. But of course, course, we can all agree to call it something else if we get there. Here you go. Question number one. People may think of the US manned space program as an artifact of the 20th century, but NASA's Artemis mission is currently aiming to return humans to the moon, partnering with private companies, including Blue Origin, which was started by Jeff Bezos, who is better known for launching what online retail giant?

[G]

That would be Amazon.

[A]

Helen.

[B]

That is correct.

[A]

That is correct. For the fun fact, the US Isn't just partnering with private companies. The Artemis program is a huge international effort, with countries like Canada and Japan contributing to key components. But not yet Genosha. All right, here's question number two. The name Artemis was chosen with careful thought. In mythology, Artemis is the twin sister of what Greek God whose name was given to the original US Manned lunar spacecrafts?

[G]

Oh, that would be Apollo.

[A]

Helen.

[B]

That is correct.

[A]

That is correct. There's a movie about it. Fun fact, NASA's Abe Silverstein named these original missions Apollo, perhaps not realizing that he was naming a moon rocket after a sun God. All right, you're two for two. Here's question number three. Under their space helmets, astronauts will usually wear a cap that is white on top with black or dark brown earphones built in. After what comic strip character are these caps named?

[G]

Those are called Snoopy caps.

[A]

Helen.

[B]

That is correct.

[A]

That is correct. Knew that right away. Fun fact, Snoopy actually has a long history with NASA. The lunar module of Apollo 10 was named Snoopy. The silver Snoopy is an award given by astronauts to people who help them on their missions. And he's been an official mascot of NASA's Spaceflight Awareness Program. And it must be Working because I am aware of NASA's spaceflights. All right, Christian, you're three for three. Here's question number four. You do have your hints available. Some astronauts have names that sound like a comic book writer was tasked with coming up with a name for an astronaut. But which one of the following amazing names is not that of a real astronaut in the US space program? Is it Bill McCool, Brent Jett, Kenneth Mars, Linda Godwin, or William Reddy?

[G]

I'll take the hint, please, Helen.

[A]

How about that first hint?

[B]

Brent Jett is a real astronaut's name.

[G]

Let's go with Kenneth Mars then.

[A]

Helen.

[B]

That is correct.

[A]

That is correct. Very nice. Fun fact. Kenneth Mars did not travel to the stars, but he was a star himself, acting in movies like Young Frankenstein. We did a segment on Young Frankenstein on episode seven of Go Fact Yourself. He also, by the way, was the voice of King Triton in the Little Mermaid available on Disney like X Men 97. Alright, you have a chance to go five for five as well. Kristen, if you can get this one correct, you do still have a hint available. For several years, the workhorse of the US manned space program was the Saturn V rocket, which is the tallest, heaviest and most powerful rocket ever flown. Now, usually after a successful mission, the rocket ends up on the bottom of an ocean, but there are three places in the world where you can see a complete Saturn V rocket. What makes the one at the Johnson Space center in Houston so unique?

[G]

I will take that second hint, please.

[A]

Helen. How about that second hint?

[B]

It's got the right stuff.

[G]

Was it used in the movies?

[A]

Helen?

[B]

It's not 100% right?

[A]

No. I'm terribly sorry, Khalil. A chance to steal this one?

[E]

I don't know at all. I'm like, I totally do not know.

[B]

So it's got the right stuff. Wow. J. Keith, this hint.

[A]

No. Yeah, yeah.

[E]

No.

[A]

We worked really hard on this hint and we could not find a good one. What we were looking for is the only one built entirely of flight certified hardware. So every major component stage originally flew or was intended to fly in actual missions. But Helen, she was on the right track. Do you want to give her half a point?

[B]

I do. I do.

[D]

All right.

[G]

Oh, that's kind.

[A]

Half a point for Kristen. Very nice. Fun fact. You can also see complete Saturn V rockets at the Kennedy Space center in Florida, where Kristen has been, and the U.S. space and Rocket center in Alabama. But those are made of uncertified hardware, so please don't use those to fly to the moon. How many times do we have to give that admonishment to our listeners. All right, Kristen, you did very well in that round. But here is your expert level question that requires multiple answers. It is time for your cluster fact. We'll be bringing on an expert to discuss your response. Kristen. Astronaut Don Thomas will tell you that he wasn't the first person on the moon or the first person to orbit the earth, but he was the first person to bring and eat his own pizza into space. For up to three points. On which space shuttle did he eat this historic pizza? Which topping did this historic pizza contain? And perhaps inspired by astronaut Don Thomas, what pizza company later paid a million dollars for the privilege of delivering a different pizza to the International Space Station? Oh, wow.

[G]

This is hard. This is really interesting. Either way, I'm going to learn something and I'm a big fan of that. I think the shuttle was Atlantis. I think the topping was pepperoni, and I think the company was Domino's.

[A]

All right, Helen is taking note of those answers. We have an expert on hand who can tell us for sure. Helen, who do we have tonight?

[B]

Joining us tonight from Baltimore, Maryland, is an author, engineer, educator, and astronaut on four different space shuttle missions, it's Dr. Don Thomas.

[A]

Hello, Dr. Thomas.

[D]

Hello.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[H]

Oh, my God.

[B]

An actual astronaut.

[H]

Oh, my God.

[D]

I'm really excited to be with you here.

[A]

Oh, we're so excited to have you. I have never spoken with an astronaut in my life and it has been a dream since I was a kid, so. So this is a thrill for me. And I see Kristen's got a big smile on her face as well.

[B]

Kristen, are you freaking out?

[G]

I am gobsmacked.

[B]

So welcome, Dr. Thomas.

[D]

Thank you.

[G]

Yeah.

[D]

It's a great opportunity to talk about pizza in space here today. That's not a topic that comes up frequently.

[A]

Well, we'll get to the pizza in a moment, but my goodness. Dr. Thomas, you have had a 20 year career with NASA, including four space shuttle missions. You spent 44 days in space completing nearly 700 orbits of the earth and traveling 17.6 million miles.

[D]

But who's counting?

[B]

I'm not gonna lie. The thing that's freaking me out the most is because we're over zoom. And the way your microphone sounds, it sounds like you are like those conversations that Houston has with space. Like it's literally what it sounds like right now. And I'm like, oh, my God, is he in space?

[A]

If it helps, we'll go after each question. Well, Dr. Thomas, you were also an engineer by training. Are you an aerospace engineer? Like Chris?

[D]

No, I was a materials engineer. I got my PhD from Cornell University in materials engineering. But, you know, material engineers, they need those in all the aerospace companies, like aerospace engineers, electrical engineers. So, yeah, it's a broad team.

[A]

There's no engineer on engineer violence or rivalries like that?

[D]

No, no, we're all part of the team.

[G]

Only at the Chili Cook off.

[A]

Well, let's talk about being an astronaut. Is that something that you wanted to do since you were a kid?

[D]

Kid, yeah. When I was six years old, I was in kindergarten and I watched Alan Shepard, the first American launch into space. I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and at my elementary school, they brought us to the gymnasium. They wheeled in a black and white TV on a cart, and I watched the launch. And immediately, as soon as Alan Shepard was in space, I was sitting there saying, I want to do that. So this was a. A lifelong dream of mine. And it took me 33 years from that moment to reach space for my first time.

[A]

Unbelievable. In addition to a lot of time, it took a lot of tenacity. I hope you don't mind my bringing up that you were turned down more than once to be an astronaut.

[D]

Yeah. You know, it's not unusual when you're applying to be an astronaut for NASA to turn you down. Especially the first time we have a joke, we say that NASA turns you down that first time just to see how bad you want it. That's not true, but it sure seems like it. I know just a handful of people that got selected the first time. Time, but it took me four applications, four tries to get in. But it's worth the wait. It's worth all the hard work. It's worth everything that I put into.

[A]

It and what made the difference. Do you think that fourth time, you.

[D]

Know, the third time I got close, I made the group of 100 semifinalists, and I went to Houston for like a week of medical testing, and then there was a one hour interview. And that all went very well. The next week, my friends were calling me up from across the United States saying, hey, the FBI's been calling about you.

[B]

What?

[D]

That's either a really good sign or a really bad sign, but this was a good sign. They were doing a security background check on me. And so I thought, okay, I'm in. I didn't think they could do this security check on all 100 people that they had interviewed. But I got turned down that time. And being an engineer, I mean, my whole path to get there was just studying the data and trying to figure out who are they looking for for and where are they selecting from? And I noticed most of the civilian astronauts that they were picking, they were individuals that were already working at the Johnson Space Center. So I was working for AT&T Bell Laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey at the time. I quit a great job. I drove halfway across the country down to Texas, and I got a job with NASA as an engineer on the space shuttle program. And I think working down there, instead of being candidate number 1, 2, 7 4, they know me as Don because I'm down there, I'm working, I'm part of the team, and I think that's what made the difference. And in all cases, you need a little bit of luck in there, too. I wouldn't discount that.

[A]

Well, you've logged over 1,000 hours in space. Which one was your favorite?

[D]

They're all tied for first out of those thousand. But I'll tell you, the first second you're laying on your back, the engines come up to full power. We're still physically bolted, tilted to the ground at that point. So you're bouncing around in your seat. And suddenly I felt a shove in my back, and it felt like somebody had their hand in the middle of my back, and they were just pushing me up into the sky. And I knew at that point we had taken off any moment before that the computers could shut things down. But once I felt the push, I knew we lit our main solid rocket booster engines there and we were on our way. So I had my helmet on, visor down, nobody in the world could hear me. And I'm just screaming inside my helmet, yahoo.

[A]

Like, go, go, go.

[D]

Because here's a dream of my life taking place right in front of my eyes.

[A]

Yeah, that's what I hope that astronauts are saying.

[D]

They are. You know, there were three other rookies on that flight, and I'm sure they were screaming in their helmet. I couldn't hear them, they couldn't hear me. I've heard other astronauts describe that by the time they got to orbit, which is only eight and a half minutes later, their cheeks were sore because they were just smiling and grinning the whole way up.

[B]

This is so cool. I love hearing this.

[A]

It's really wonderful. Missions can be delayed for all sorts of reasons, and one of the more common reasons is weather. But on your mission, STS 70, that got delayed for a bit of an unusual reason.

[D]

Yeah, you've done your homework here. My second flight on space shuttle Discovery, just one week before the scheduled launch. We were just about to go in quarantine. That Day. And I was leaving the simulator, you know, for one of the last training sessions about 10 in the morning. And the instructor told me as I was leaving, they said, hey, I Don, I heard your flight's delayed. It seems like a woodpecker attacked your space shuttle. And I laughed, like you guys are doing, and I thought, yeah, that's pretty funny. And I ran up to our crew office, and my commander, Tom Henricks, was in there, and I said, hey, Tom, is it true about the woodpecker? And he said, yeah, I'm afraid so.

[E]

So.

[D]

So our big orange fuel tank, that is our main fuel tank for the space shuttle, holds a half a million gallons of fuel. It's covered with 3 to 4 inches of spray on foam insulation to keep the fuel cold in the heat of Florida. And apparently a woodpecker, just a single woodpecker, came up and. And drilled 205 holes in that foam insulation.

[B]

205 individual holes.

[D]

One woodpecker. 205 holes. It wasn't like a dozen woodpeckers came or 100 of them. It was just one woodpecker. That's one persistent woodpecker.

[A]

Well, let's get to the reason that we brought you here as far as our game is concerned. You heard the questions that we asked Kristen about someone named astronaut Don Thomas who took a pizza into space. First, we want to know in which space shuttle did he bring and eat that historic pizza? Helen, what did Kristen say?

[B]

Kristen said, Atlantis.

[D]

And Dr. Thomas, I flew both on space shuttle Columbia and Discovery, but the pizza flew on Columbia. So I'm sorry, Kristen.

[A]

A very reasonable guess, but I'm sorry. Not correct there, Kristen. Next, we want to know which topping did that historic pizza contain. Helen, what did Kristen say?

[B]

Kristen said pepperoni.

[A]

And doctor.

[D]

Way to go, Kristen. It was double pepperoni.

[A]

Yeah, double pepperoni. Okay. You're not messing around. All right. That is a point for Kristen. And finally wanted to know which pizza company, perhaps inspired by astronaut Don Thomas, paid a million dollars to deliver a pizza to the Intern International Space Station. Helen, what did Kristen say? Kristen said dominoes and Mr. Johnson.

[D]

And the correct answer is Pizza Hut. And, you know, they claim that they flew the first pizza in space. I think this is in 2002 or 3. But they're. They're dead wrong. It had already been done.

[A]

It had already been done by astronaut Don Thomas.

[B]

Kristen, I know you're probably freaking out over here. Is there anything you want to ask or say to astronaut Thomas?

[G]

Well, first off, that is super cool. I actually got to go into Columbia when I was in an internship at the Cape in 1997. So to hear that you went on Colombia, may she rest in peace, is a tie between us at this point. So I feel like we're totally bonded at this point. But actually, and I've been thinking about this since you described how the pizza was made, what does a pizza tip do? Like, does it stay flat or does it go down or does it go up once it hits zero G? I'm very curious about that.

[D]

You know, the pizza was like a day old or a day and a half old by the time I got to space, so. And all the fat and everything gets congealed. So it's very, very rigid. And there's no gravity. There's nothing to deform it.

[A]

So are you concerned? Were you concerned about the pepperoni flying off?

[D]

No, it stuck. I always thought pizza's a good thing to take into space. Bread on a sandwich has crumbs, right? But pizza, you know, with all the fat and congealed fat and the cheese and everything, nothing floats off a pizza.

[B]

How did it taste? Did it taste different being in space?

[D]

I tell people it was a. Okay. It was a great treat. It was just fun.

[A]

I love that you did it, and I love that you have this enthusiasm about it. And I love that our listeners get to the bottom of the details of the congealed fat on the space pizza. Well, it's been so lovely and real honor that you joined us, Dr. Thomas. If people want to find out more about you and what you're up to, where can they do?

[D]

I got a website. It's www.ohioastronaut.com.

[A]

Excellent. Well, thank you so much for landing here with us, everybody. It is astronaut Dr. Don Thomas. All right, Helen, what is our score at the end of that round?

[B]

At the end of that amazing round? Khalil Goodman has nine points, and Kristen Pilot has seven and a half points.

[A]

All right, but now it is time for our final round. We call fast facts. I'll read 10 statements, and each contestant will answer with true or false. I'll start with Khalil, and then I'll try. Each correct answer is worth one point. And again, please answer each statement with true or false, and we will go fast. Here we begin. Khalil Ozzy Osbourne appeared in music videos.

[E]

True.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

Kristin, Ozzy Osbourne appeared in reality shows.

[E]

True.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

Yeah, one was called the Osbournes. Khalil, he appeared in TV ads.

[E]

True.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

Kristin, he appeared in an ad for butter.

[B]

True. Incorrect.

[A]

Khalil he appeared in an ad for I can't Believe it's not, but True.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

I can't believe it. Kristin, he appeared in an ad for Coca Cola.

[C]

True.

[B]

Incorrect.

[A]

Khalil, he appeared in an ad for iced tea.

[E]

True.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

Kristin, he appeared in an ad for Liquid Death brand iced tea.

[G]

I'm gonna say false.

[B]

Incorrect.

[A]

No, sorry. He really did. Khalil, he appeared in an ad for cans of Liquid Death iced tea that contained his actual DNA.

[E]

False.

[B]

Incorrect.

[A]

No, I'm sorry to say that's true. Kristin, the. The price for each of those cans was $450.

[G]

I'm gonna say false.

[B]

Incorrect.

[A]

No, it really was. Khalil, the Ozzy Osbourne DNA cans sold out.

[E]

True.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

And finally, Kristen, as did he.

[B]

Don't answer that.

[A]

All right, we're not gonna count those last two. I wanna thank again Kristen Pilot and Khalil Goodman as Helen tabulates the final score. Helen, are you ready to reveal the winner of today's program?

[B]

I am. At the end of the game, Khalil Goodman has 13 points and Kristen Pilot has eight and a half points.

[A]

Congratulations, Khalil. You are the facting champion on GoFact yourself. What will you do with your championship?

[E]

I'm going to break it and give Kristen half.

[G]

Yay.

[A]

That is so nice. Our listeners are the best. Well, we're gonna wrap up by giving everyone here a chance to mention or promote anything of theirs that they might like. Khalil, what might that be for you?

[E]

Before I do that, I just want to say to anybody listening like Kristen and I, I encourage you to support, support the Maximum Fund shows that you like, especially go FAQ yourself. I think these shows have given us a lot of joy and so it makes more sense for us to put back and make sure that they continue to do so. In terms of things I want to promote, I work for an organization in Barbados called Equals. You can find it on Instagram @equals246. It's an LGBT organization and if you feel like giving money to go fat to yourself and you want to give money to Equals, you can do so. We provide health services for LGBT people and also we are activism human rights group.

[A]

Wonderful. Thank you for all that work and thank you for the very kind and unsolicited support. GoFact yourself of GoFact yourself.

[B]

Honestly, there was no arm twisting involved in that.

[A]

Right. And Kristin, how about you? Anything you want to happen to say about how wonderful we are?

[G]

Well, you guys are very wonderful. And I will say that if you for Whatever reason cannot support financially that I'm sure. Podcast reviews and mentioning podcasts to your friends is a great way to support all the creators that you like. Go fact yourself and others, I'm sure.

[A]

Thank you.

[G]

I would recommend doing that.

[B]

That is accurate. Thank you.

[A]

And anything you would like to promote.

[G]

You know I'm very boring. I don't have a website. I'm on Instagram. It's my full name as in Kristen Pilot. If you really want to see pictures of my cats, by all means follow it. If you don't want to see pictures of my cats, I recommend going to Jake Keith's or Helen's Instagram accounts because those are much more interesting.

[A]

These are the best plugs we've ever had. Helen indeed.

[F]

Yeah.

[A]

Well, thank you again Kristen and thank you so much, Khalil. Helen, what about yourself?

[B]

You already know y' all that you can follow me unnyhelenhong and y' all know why. That's right, it's funny. Helen Hong.

[A]

Because that other Helen Hong, everyone. Not funny. Not funny. We're all saying. All right, Helen Hong and me. You can find me on the [e-mail] all spelled out. You can hire me for your trivia event either in person or online by going to bigquizthing.com and that just leaves me to thank Khalil Goodman, Kristen Pilot, Isaac Robinson Smith, Holly Chow, Alison Sealy Smith and Dr. Don Thomas. And thank you especially on this episode, for listening and supporting our show. @maximumfun.org I'm Jake Keith Van Stratton.

[F]

Good night.

[A]

Like what you hear? Come see us live. Go to gofactorpod.com for our schedule and tickets. Meanwhile, please like and follow us on all the socials all at GoFactorPod. Update our [e-mail] and by our T shaped shirt, mug shaped mug and dingle dangly dingle dangle and [e-mail] and give us a great review on your favorite podcast platform like Mammalian Neuterable did on Apple podcasts. He, she or they say I am a day one listener to go fact yourself and particularly love listening with my family on long drives. Most recently we had a four hour drive planned from New York to Vermont, but we also had our two cats with us, Cookie and Churro. When we first got on the road, Cookie was very unhappy in the cat carrier and meowed constantly. I tried putting on Olivia Rodrigo to cover the sound, but the meowing still cut through and was very distracting. I switched to an episode of Go Fuck Yourself and within seconds of Jakey's in intro Cookie, stop meowing. I don't know if Cookie just liked Jakey's voice, or maybe he's a trivia fan and we just didn't know it. Or maybe he knows J. Keith has a cat named Cookie too. In any case, the rest of the drive was quite enjoyable while our cats relaxed in the back and the rest of us learned some facts. And all joking aside, although this story is 100% true, gofact yourself is one of my favorite podcasts. Sometimes I listen to the episodes in advance just so I can enjoy seeing and hearing how my favorite family reacts when the experts are revealed. Also, just in case you think this was a fluke, we had the same experience with the cats on the drive home. Thanks namily innumerable. You know, I think we've had the exact same review read before. I don't recall. And also hi Cookie. Hi Churro. Who are good kitty cats?

[B]

Ellen Go Fact Yourself is a panel quiz program devised and produced by Jim Newman and Jakeith Van Stratten and comes to you via transcription from various homes across across the world. Questions were compiled by the Trivia Industrial Complex, which this week included Kevin Gadzielinski at the Solving for X podcast and Bob Skier. We are produced in collaboration with Maximum Fun and LAist. Maximum Fun's senior producer is Laura Swisher, Associate Producer and Editor and our very own astronaut is Julian Burrell. Additional editing by Valerie Moffatt. Our own our show engineer, the Sound master is Dave McKeever. Music by Jonathan Green. Research assistance provided by Adam Mediff. Quiz assistance provided by Clint Hauscher and Bartgold. Promotional graphics by Erich Tran. Videos by Scout Mayberry Listener tournament puzzles by Bart Gold. Added support from Dave Bianchi and Christine Vallotta. Special thanks to Dylan Carter at Giant Size Productions and Cynthia McLean at Sutton Barth in Venice. Talent I've been Helen Hong let's go.

[A]

Watch X Men 97 and eat pizzas in Space. Pizzas in Space.

[B]

Maximum Fun.

[A]

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