Good Job, Brain! – Episode 307: "We're Back in the Red Again"
Release Date: May 7, 2026
Main Cast: Karen, Colin, Chris, Dana, Special Guest: Sarah
Overview
In episode 307, the GJB crew returns to a classic color-themed topic, diving into everything curious, offbeat, and trivia-worthy about the color RED. The episode features a mix of quiz segments about red things in culture and language, a memorable guest appearance from Sarah, who shares her experience as a child actor in the infamous McDonald’s Arch Deluxe commercial, and plenty of rapid-fire trivia and wordplay. The mood is playful, deeply nerdy, and aimed squarely at fellow trivia buffs.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Welcoming Guest Sarah & Trivia Warm-up
- [00:32-04:00]
- Karen introduces guest Sarah, who reveals her chaotic child actor history, outdoor hobbies, and love of accessible trivia.
- The team reflects humorously on aging trivia knowledge: “Where the old dudes now... cresting then in terms of the peak range of knowledge.”—Colin [03:25]
- Sarah teases her secret reason for joining, to be unveiled later.
2. "Pop Quiz Hotshot" – Trivial Pursuit Quizzing
- [04:10-12:21]
- A mix of Genus II and more modern Trivial Pursuit cards, with classic and quirky questions.
- Discussion about the generational gap in trivia, and comically awkward question phrasing in older editions.
- Notable Moments:
- “You're licking the surface. Oh, I haven’t had a good old Karen Chu idiom in a long time.”—Chris [05:13]
- Sample questions:
- Geography: “What two continents had only 18 fully independent countries between them at the end of World War II?” [Asia & Africa] [04:27]
- Entertainment: “Who wrote the words and music to ‘I Love Paris’?” [Cole Porter] [04:54]
- Science: “What unit does the metric barometer measure atmospheric pressure in?” [KiloPascal] [06:31]
- Sports: “What player’s legs does a batter hit the baseball between if it goes through the wickets?” [Pitcher] [07:14]
3. The "Red" Meta-Theme Revealed
- [12:21-12:59]
- The episode’s true theme is ‘RED’—a return to their popular color subjects, promising facts, wordplay, and quizzes about all things red.
Featured Quizzes & Segments
A. Red in Popular Culture Quiz (by Chris)
- [12:59-21:08]
- All answers contain “Red” in the title.
- Highlights:
- Animated Film (2022): “Turning Red” [14:16]
- Video Game: “Red Dead Revolver” [17:38]
- Children’s Book: “Clifford the Big Red Dog” [19:20]
- Satirical Sci-Fi Novel: “Redshirts” by John Scalzi [20:51]
- Fun banter as contestants often recall wrong sequels or mix up titles, spurring group collaboration.
B. Red Flags Quiz (by Karen & Chris)
- [21:08–24:07]
- Flags with red symbolism.
- Standout segment: Guest Chris is quizzed live on red-and-white flags, listing countries such as Denmark, Japan, Canada, Switzerland, Poland, Indonesia, Monaco, Tonga, Austria, Latvia, Qatar, Bahrain, Turkey, Tunisia, Georgia, Singapore, and Gibraltar [22:46–24:04].
C. McDonald’s Arch Deluxe Ad – Sarah’s “Secret” Revealed
- [24:22–36:41]
- Sarah recounts her experience as a third grader accidentally cast as “the kid who makes a gross face” in the Arch Deluxe ad.
- Behind the scenes of child casting at a Brownie event: “...for some unknown reason there was a casting director present... and somehow that casting director was like, hey, you girls, come over here to this other audition we’re having for McDonald’s.” [26:17]
- Marketing misfire: McDonald’s wanted to rebrand with a “grownup burger,” implying through children’s disgust it wasn’t for kids.
- Producers told Sarah and other child actors the burger was made of “monkey brains” to elicit genuine disgusted reactions [31:36].
- After two weeks the ad was pulled due to negative impact; Sarah discusses learning years later in college ad classes that her spot was cited as why the product failed: “My general face and vibe cost McDonald’s tens of millions of dollars.” —Sarah [34:03]
- Sarah’s memorabilia: saved the original Arch Deluxe box.
D. Strawberry Deep-Dive (by Karen)
- [38:50–42:54]
- Karen shares “Snapple fact” clarity: Not only are strawberries not berries (botanically), but the real strawberry fruit is the tiny “seeds”—achene—on the outside (“When you’re eating one strawberry, you’re eating 200 fruits.” —Karen [40:54]).
- Bonus strawberry fact: Strawberries are octoploid, with 8 sets of chromosomes; easy to extract visible DNA at home [41:32].
E. Red Word Roots Quiz (by Colin)
- [43:01–51:44]
- Words starting with R, etymologically linked to the meaning ‘red.’
- Sample clues/answers and etymology:
- “Common name for iron oxide”: Rust [45:06]
- “Flour-based sauce in cooking”: Roux [45:53]
- “South African herbal tea”: Rooibos [46:35]
- “German measles”: Rubella [47:39]
- “Authoritative rule, often in red”: Rubric [48:24]
- “Reddish variety of potatoes/pears”: Russet [49:45]
- “Strong, hardy (person/coffee)”: Robust [50:49]
- Fun digression into marketing terms like “strawberry blonde” and etymology of color adjectives.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “We’re the old dudes now.” —Colin, on aging trivia knowledge ([03:25])
- “You’re licking the surface. Oh, I haven’t had a good old Karen Chu idiom in a long time.”—Chris ([05:13])
- “My general face and vibe cost McDonald’s tens of millions of dollars.”—Sarah ([34:03])
- “When you’re eating one strawberry, you’re eating 200 fruits.” —Karen ([40:54])
- “Cows, not berries.”—Karen, riffing on fruit terminology ([52:38])
Additional: "Producer Brain" Quiz on Child Labor Laws (by Sarah)
- [54:15–63:22]
- Sarah quizzed the hosts on child actor regulations, based on her firsthand experience.
- Covers limitations on work hours, call times, and the need for twins to get around child labor limits.
- “You have proved to Diva that you care deeply about child labor laws…” —Sarah ([62:49])
- Fun fact: Babies can “work” at 15 days old for a max of 20 minutes during a 2-hour day, only 30 seconds at a time under the lights.
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [00:32] — Sarah’s introduction and generational trivia chat
- [04:10] — Trivial Pursuit Lightning Round
- [12:21] — Theme reveal: All About Red
- [12:59] — “Red in Entertainment” Buzzer Quiz
- [21:08] — Red Flags / World Flags Mini-Quiz
- [24:22] — Sarah’s McDonald’s Arch Deluxe Ad Story
- [38:50] — Strawberry Facts
- [43:01] — Red Root Words Quiz
- [54:15] — Behind-the-scenes of child labor laws in entertainment
Tone & Style Note
As always, Good Job, Brain! is quick-witted, geeky, supportive, and interspersed with playful ribbing. The crew’s banter is friendly and inclusive, with inside-joke callbacks and plenty of laughter at creative missteps.
For Non-Listeners
Even without listening, you’ll learn:
- The surprising real-life impact of color-themed advertising flops.
- That strawberries aren’t technically berries, and you can extract their DNA at home.
- The etymological journey of “red” across English vocabulary.
- Why so many national flags feature only red and white.
- Insider trivia on child actor regulations, plus an amazing tale of how a kid’s “gross” face in a McDonald's commercial became famous in a way no one expected.
For more trivia goodness and all episode links, visit goodjobbrain.com.
