Holmberg’s Morning Sickness - Arizona

Episode: 12-31-25 – Super Genius - Loses 3 Times - May 2002 - Stephen Hawking Trivia - Sept 2015 - BO
Date: December 31, 2025
Host: John Holmberg, w/ Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo
Network: 98KUPD | Hubbard Radio

Episode Overview

This episode is a classic, high-energy mix of irreverent comedy and trivia as John Holmberg dons the persona of the “Super Genius” for a rapid round of 1980s pop culture trivia, challenging call-in listeners to beat his self-proclaimed genius. Lively banter, rapid-fire questions, and plenty of comedic “shenanigans” set the tone. Later, the show pivots to a segment where the crew “interviews” a comedic version of Dr. Stephen Hawking, launching into space movie and song trivia, before closing out with tongue-in-cheek, off-the-wall humor.

Key Segments and Insights

1. The Super Genius 80s Trivia Challenge

Starts ~[01:08]

• Holmberg embodies the “Super Genius”: Full of bluster and mock arrogance, Super Genius takes calls from listeners who try their hand at 1980s trivia, covering music, sports, TV, and film, with Brady (“Lap Dog”) as the question reader.
• Comic banter and ongoing gags: Repeated jokes at the expense of “Lap Dog” and previous host Bo; frequent mockery between hosts and of contestants.
• The rules: Callers must buzz in with their name before answering; infractions trigger comedic controversy (“Shenanigans!” is declared liberally).

Highlighted Super Genius Matches

1. Daniel

   • Q: Mike Tyson’s fastest knockout – [02:52]
   • Daniel guesses “Spinks.”
     “Negative, Super Genius. That was Marvis… Marvis Fraser or something. Frasier.” – [03:01]
   • Super Genius explains, “Son of Smokin’ Joe Frazier. I am one, you are none.” – [03:13]
   • Daniel’s dismissed after naming Katharine Hepburn as Michael Douglas’s wife in Fatal Attraction. Correct answer: Anne Archer.
   • Memorable Quote:
     “You have been terminated, Daniel.” – John/Super Genius [03:40]

2. Mike

   • Q: Only gymnast on a Wheaties box
   • Mike guesses John Roethlisberger; Super Genius nails Mary Lou Retton.
   • Q: Miami Vice musical guest – Super Genius answers “Phil Collins.”
   • Mike complains: “I wasn’t alive in the 80s!” [04:41]
   • Super Genius scoffs at Gen Z.

3. Mike #2

   • Q: What does AMC stand for? Mike gets it (American Movie Classics)
   • Q: Hulk Hogan’s Wrestlemania III opponent – Super Genius: “Andre the Giant.”
   • Q: Bubba Smith’s character in Police Academy – Super Genius: “Hightower.”
   • Calls for “Shenanigans” when callers blurt answers without buzzing in.

• Meta Commentary
  • Viewers on instant messenger pop off:
    “Super Genius is a dick.” – [07:29] Holmberg retorts: “Obviously inferior intelligence… Not a very good vocabulary.” – [07:32]

2. Round Two: More Listeners, More “Shenanigans”

Starts ~[08:09]

• Alan
  • Q: Motley Crue lyric ID (“Girls, Girls, Girls”) – [08:22]
  • Dispute over whether Super Genius said the answer.
  • Q: CBS sports reporter fired for racial remarks: “Jimmy the Greek.” – [09:14]
  • Q: Back-to-back NBA MVP for the Sixers – “Moses Malone.”
  • Ongoing banter about Lap Dog’s supposed incompetence and “cleaning ears.”
• Jesse
  • Q: 80s movie starring Goldie Hawn, Nipsey Russell – Answer: “Wildcats.” [10:20]
  • Q: Julia Roberts quote: “I would rather have 30 minutes of wonderful…” – Incorrectly guessed as “Pretty Woman.”
  • Super Genius loses three times, sparking comic self-flagellation and blaming “headphones piping in kdkb.” – [11:13]
  • “I love it when Super Genius loses.” – [11:28]

3. Stephen Hawking Trivia Comedy Segment

Starts ~[12:01]

• Enter “Stephen Hawking”: Played as a guest (comedically impersonated), dripping with dry, sarcastic wit and self-mockery.
• Limp Bizkit gags: “Rolling, rolling, rolling…” – [12:01]
• Classic zingers:
  • “I feel terrible, Brady. I’m not doing as well as I look.”– Hawking [12:20]
  • On ex-wife, after “The Theory of Everything”:
    “Then later when she became a bitch, I remembered why we are no longer together. And how I wanted to throw her into a black hole.” – [14:47]
  • Jokes about his ALS and wheelchair: “Despite being completely physically incapable of moving I still have better handwriting than you.” – [14:23]
• Hay Flinch running joke:
  “No one has had the courage to try the Hay Flinch game with me.” [15:31]

Space Movie and Song Trivia

Starts ~[16:41]

• Listeners call in to answer famous space-movie quotes and song lyrics.
• Example:
  • Movie line: “Too much garbage in your face, there isn’t plenty of space out in space…” – “WALL-E” [17:13]
  • Song: “Rocket. I’m taking a rocket…” – Stumps listeners with intentionally obscure or comic lyrics.
• Light ribbing of contestants’ intelligence:
  “Do you think your IQ is probably about 120? It’s officially 74. I can tell over the phone.” – Hawking [16:22]
• “If you get this fact right, I’m going to give you something. What’s that?” “A guilty pleasure in Saved by the Bell.” – [24:04]
• Ends with crude, absurdist humor, riffing on masturbation, “Jewish penises,” and Saved by the Bell characters.

4. Notable Quotes & Moments

• Super Genius on ego:
  "Lapdog's doing a wonderful job, I would think. Super Genius's ego needs a little bit more boosting from the lapdog. Thank you, Lapdog." – [04:59]

• Self-aware meta humor:
  “People coming through on the instant messenger to comment about super genius. Super Genius is a dick. And then they sign off.” – Holmberg [07:29]

• On comedic rule enforcement:
  “He didn't buzz in. Gotta follow the rules.” – Super Genius [06:56]

• Hawking on marriage:
  “Then later when she became a bitch, I remembered why we are no longer together. And how I wanted to throw her into a black hole.” – Hawking [14:47]

• On intelligence:
  “What planet is 1,410,006,001,416,000,000 miles from Earth? … It is called Mars. Oh, ouch.” – Hawking [20:20]

Important Segments & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:08 | “Super Genius” 80s trivia game begins – silly bravado, first challenger Daniel | | 03:01 | Feud over Mike Tyson trivia; Super Genius takes early lead | | 04:41 | Gen Z caller admits he “wasn’t alive in the 80s” | | 06:09 | Controversy as a contestant blurts the answer without buzzing in – “Shenanigans!” | | 07:29 | Listeners chime in: “Super Genius is a dick” – meta comedy ensues | | 08:09 | Round Two: New contestants, more rules drama, “Lapdog” jokes | | 11:13 | Super Genius “loses three times,” feigns excuse about wrong radio station in headphones | | 12:01 | “Stephen Hawking” joins as a satirical guest; jokes about rolling and limp bodies | | 14:47 | Hawking drops his sharp-tongued take on his wife and “black holes” | | 16:41 | Hawking trivia game: space movie/song quotes with listeners | | 23:26 | “Rocket Man” lyric game; contestant just misses the answer | | 24:04 | Off-beat closing, “Saved by the Bell” guilty pleasures and crude humor |

Tone and Style

The episode thrives on sarcastic, quick-witted teasing between the hosts and listeners, with heavy doses of irony, character-driven humor, and a flair for the absurd. Both the “Super Genius” and “Stephen Hawking” segments satirize both trivia showmanship and media depictions of genius, while the flood of 80s references creates a nostalgic but tongue-in-cheek playground for the hosts and callers.

Recommended for listeners who enjoy:

• Fast-paced, irreverent morning show comedy
• Flagrant rule-bending on trivia segments for laughs
• 1980s pop culture references
• Sarcastic, character-driven roleplay

For anyone who didn’t listen:

You’re in for a wild ride of game show parody, gleeful bickering, and nostalgia as “Super Genius” taunts listeners, the team lampoons pop culture, and “Stephen Hawking” drops cosmic comedy gold, all at the rowdy heart of Arizona’s #1 morning radio show.