Podcast
Go Fact Yourself
Hosted by MaximumFun.org · EN
Twice a month, host J. Keith van Straaten and co-host Helen Hong quiz the smartest celebrities they know to find out why they love what they love! Recorded before a live audience in downtown Los Angeles, this game show features comedians, actors, and musicians answering arcane questions on topics they claim to be experts in. But don't worry; if they slip up, there are real experts on hand to give us the facts!
41episodes
Episodes
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Ep. 168.90 Bruce Vilanch and #MaxFunDrive Amnesty Weekend!
Mar 29, 202500:35:04Summary readyThis show is supported by our beloved MaxFun Members! To become one yourself as part of the #MaxFunDrive, go to maximumfun.org/join and set up a recurring monthly contribution (or an annual prepay) for as little as $5 a month. Help us make our goal to unlock even more gifts … for YOU!It’s only $1/month to BOOST your membership too – every little bit helps!Bruce Vilanch was a guest on episode 124. Some guests struggle to give us three topics they love that they’re willing to be quizzed on. And then there’s Bruce. In this fun and wide-ranging conversation, Bruce tells us about the many other topics that we didn’t cover when he was a guest – including the Titanic, commercial passenger planes, and the divine Bette Midler.Hosts: J. Keith van StraatenHelen HongJim NewmanCredits:Theme Song by Jonathan Green.Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU!And of course… maximumfun.org/join!!
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Ep. 168.80 Helen & J. Keith as Guests?! Plus: Help us make our #MaxFunDrive goal!
Mar 28, 202500:26:21Summary readyThis show is supported by our beloved MaxFun Members! To become one yourself as part of the #MaxFunDrive, go to maximumfun.org/join and set up a recurring monthly contribution (or an annual prepay) for as little as $5 a month. Help us make our goal to unlock even more gifts … for YOU!It’s only $1/month to BOOST your membership too – every little bit helps!Go Fact Yourself takes a lot of work to put together, including crafting the perfect quiz for our contestants. What would happen if we just took it easy and allowed AI to craft the questions, hints, and fun facts? We have J. Keith and Helen step into the contestant chairs to find out! Hosts: J. Keith van StraatenHelen HongJim NewmanCredits:Theme Song by Jonathan Green.Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU!And of course… maximumfun.org/join!!
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Ep. 168.75: A #MaxFunDrive Bonus! The Making of GFY
Mar 27, 202500:20:31Summary readyThis show is supported by our beloved MaxFun Members! To become one yourself as part of the #MaxFunDrive, go to maximumfun.org/join and set up a recurring monthly contribution (or an annual prepay) for as little as $5 a month. That contribution goes directly into making this show possible. In this special mini episode, J. Keith speaks with show director and Go Fact Yourself co-creator Jim Newman.Jim does a lot of work behind the scenes before the show has even started – booking guests for the show is an intensive process. He’ll shine a light on the bookings that fell through and guests that have really delivered for this trivia podcast. Hosts: J. Keith van StraatenCredits:Theme Song by Jonathan Green.Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU!
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Ep. 168.5: New #MaxFunDrive Rewards! + BoCo Preview! Brea Grant, Alison Becker, Clint McElroy and more!
Mar 24, 202500:35:20Summary readyThis show is supported by our beloved MaxFun Members! To become one yourself as part of the #MaxFunDrive, go to maximumfun.org/join and set up a recurring monthly contribution (or an annual prepay) for as little as $5 a month. No matter what level you join, every MaxFun Member gets access to the most popular gift of all: The Bonus Content Library.This is a bank of hundreds– maybe even thousands– of hours of bonus episodes from every show across the network. That includes Go Fact Yourself!In this special preview, you’ll hear clips from just a few of the GFY BoCo collection– including full episodes with MaxFunsters Brea Grant, Clint McElroy and more; GFY success stories where we interview past contestants whose dreams came true because of this show; and the original Go Fact Yourself pilot (which was just released this year!)Hosts: J. Keith van StraatenHelen HongCredits:Theme Song by Jonathan Green.Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU!
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Ep. 168: Jerry O’Connell & Mallory O’Meara
Mar 21, 202501:07:28Summary readyThis show is supported by our beloved MaxFun Members! To become one yourself as part of the #MaxFunDrive, go to maximumfun.org/join and set up a recurring monthly contribution for as little as $5 a month. Happy #MaxFunDrive! It’s trivia so fine it’ll blow your mind on a brand new episode of Go Fact Yourself! In this episode…Guests:Jerry O’Connell got his start as a child actor in the film Stand By Me. His acting career blossomed from there and continued for decades – but now he’s had a second career as an Emmy-nominated TV host. He’ll tell us how that came about after some advice from Kelly Ripa, plus why his dad thought his first film would be a flop. Mallory O’Meara is an author and podcaster. She hosts the shows "Reading Glasses" and "Reading Smut" on the MaxFun Network. She’ll tell us all about how both podcasts celebrate book culture in very different ways. Her latest book, Daughter of Daring: The Trick-Riding, Train-Leaping, Road-Racing Life of Helen Gibson, Hollywood’s First Stuntwoman is out now. Areas of ExpertiseJerry: 1980s music, 1980s movies, and 1990s Los Angeles news.Mallory: Haunted house books, werewolf movies, Washington Capitals Hockey from 2019 to the present. What’s the Difference: Break the BankWhat’s the difference, in music, between a rest and a break?What’s the difference between a food bank and a food pantry?With Guest Experts:David Naughton: Actor and singer, who starred in the film An American Werewolf in London.Toni Basil: Award-winning singer, dancer, and choreographer behind the hit song “Oh Mickey.”Hosts: J. Keith van StraatenHelen HongCredits:Theme Song by Jonathan Green.Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU!
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167.75: #MaxFunDrive update -- GFY Baseball Cards & Baseball Trivia
Mar 21, 202500:16:54Summary readyThis show is supported by our beloved MaxFun Members! To become one yourself as part of the #MaxFunDrive, go to maximumfun.org/join and set up a recurring monthly contribution for as little as $5 a month. Or, prepay for the year and get a bonus reward!J. Keith and Helen share a few updates on the MaxFun Drive, including how to get an autographed baseball card featuring the hosts! Plus, Ben Lindbergh from the "Effectively Wild" podcast joins J. Keith's search for a deep dive into very specific baseball trivia that came out of one of our GFY quizzes.Hosts: J. Keith van StraatenHelen HongCredits:Theme Song by Jonathan Green.Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU!
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J. Keith quizzes hosts in MFD Spring Break
Mar 19, 202501:19:17Summary readyIt’s not MaxFunDrive without a wild kickoff spectacular! Former real-life VJ and host of MTV's Spring Break 1999, Dave Holmes, takes your favorite MaxFun hosts through some wacky ‘90s- and Spring Break-themed mini games!!Featuring: Dave Holmes, Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya, Dimitry Pompée, Tom Lum, Ellen Weatherford, Alex Schmidt, Brenda Snell, Drea Clark, Alonso Duralde, Dan McCoy, Jordan Morris, Manolo Moreno, Ella Hubber, Caroline Roper, Ella McLeod, John-Luke Roberts, Justin McElroy, Clint McElroy, Mike Cabellon, Sierra Katow, Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, John Moe, Christian Dueñas, Christian Duguay.
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Ep. 167.5: #MaxFunDrive special: GFY Listeners Sam Gladston vs Noelle Sciarini
Mar 17, 202500:58:04Summary readyThis show is supported by our beloved MaxFun Members! To become one yourself as part of the #MaxFunDrive, go to maximumfun.org/join and set up a recurring monthly contribution for as little as $5 a month. Happy #MaxFunDrive! And we’ve got a couple of contestants who supported Go Fact Yourself in 2024!In this episode…Guests:Sam Gladston is a professional wrestler who performs for Superkick’d in Toronto. He’ll tell us how he got his start and how body building helped save his life. Noelle Sciarini is an email marketing specialist. She’ll tell us the secret to crafting the perfect email that people actually want to click on. Plus, we’ll hear more about how this is the FIRST podcast she’s ever been on!Both Sam and Noelle were two of the first 100 listeners to support Go Fact Yourself in the 2024 MaxFunDrive.Areas of ExpertiseSam: The Krakoan era of X-Men, competitive bodybuilding from the late 90s and onwards, witches in media, the movie Labyrinth, and the TV show “Star Trek: Voyager.”Noelle: 1990s film adaptations of classic books, the TV show “The Great British Bake-off,” the musical The Secret Garden, cross-country running, and word games.What’s the difference: Rookie MistakeWhat’s the difference between a rookie and a beginner?What’s the difference between a mistake and an error?With Guest Experts:Lisa Klink: TV writer, known for her work in the “Star Trek” universe.Marsha Falco: Game inventor whose games include SET, Karma, and Quiddler.Hosts: J. Keith van StraatenHelen HongCredits:Theme Song by Jonathan Green.Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU!
Summary#MaxFunDrive announcements!
Mar 14, 202500:01:25Summary readyJ. Keith and Helen provide some early details for the MaxFun Drive! Look forward to lots of new episodes in the podcast feed along with tons of contests and giveaways exclusively for those who support Go Fact Yourself.Starting March 17th, go to Maximumfun.org/jointo become a MaxFun Member and support Go Fact Yourself.
SummaryEp. 103: Travis McElroy & Teresa McElroy
May 5, 2022Tap to summarizeIt's #MaxFunDrive time!Support this show for as little as $5 a month and earn great gifts! Go to Maximumfun.org/join. You can also boost your membership for as little as $1/month!Plus… YOU could be a guest on the show!All new, upgrading, and boosting members can opt in to play in our tournament, whose winners get to record a mini-episode of Go Fact Yourself!And listen for details on our stretch goals for even more opportunities. THANK YOU for supporting our show. We literally couldn't do it without members of MaxFun. Hopefully that includes YOU.Will you please join, upgrade, or boost at maximumfun.org/join?Grab the burger of the day and switch on the cable TV – it's a new episode of Go Fact Yourself! In honor of week two of the #MaxFunDrive, we’re joined by two more hosts from the Maximum Fun Network! Travis McElroy is part of the brotherly trio behind the hit shows “My Brother, My Brother and Me” and “The Adventure Zone.” In fact, he and his brothers were so successful that they eventually decided to write the book on podcasting: Everybody Has a Podcast (Except You).Travis also co-hosts the podcast “Shmanners” with his wife, Teresa McElroy. Together they explore the history and applications of etiquette. That includes finding the origins of idioms like “letting the cat out of the bag” which they’re happy to share with us today.What’s the Difference: Couples Therapy!What’s the difference between a couple and a pair?What’s the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist?Areas of Expertise:Travis: The songs of Dave Matthews Band, 1990s Nickelodeon TV shows, and job interviews.Teresa: The TV Show “Bob’s Burgers,” the movie Ratatouille, and loading the dishwasher.Appearing in this episode:J. Keith van StraatenHelen HongTravis McElroyTeresa McElroyWith guest experts:Wendy & Lizzie Molyneux, Emmy-winning writers/producers on “Bob’s Burgers”Dan Mintz, voice of Tina Belcher on “Bob’s Burgers”Marc Summers, Emmy-nominated producer and host of several classic shows, including Nickelodeon’s “Double Dare”Go Fact Yourself was devised and is produced by Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten, in collaboration with Maximum Fun. Theme Song by Jonathan Green.Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.Associate Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.Supporting MaxFunDrive by YOU! Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact
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