The MeatEater Podcast – Ep. 755: Game On, Suckers! MeatEater Trivia CLXXIX
Release Date: August 27, 2025
Host: Spencer Newharth
Participants: Giannis, Brody, Corinne, Nate, Seth, Sarah, Phil (engineer)
Theme: Outdoor-themed Trivia — Hunting, Fishing, Conservation & Cooking
Episode Overview
This special episode recaps another raucous round of "MeatEater Trivia," hosted by quizmaster Spencer Newharth. Six panelists from the MeatEater crew—Giannis, Brody, Corinne, Nate, Seth, and Sarah—take on ten rounds of trivia covering hunting, fishing, wildlife, conservation, and cooking. Raising the stakes, the winner scores a $500 conservation donation to the organization of their choice. There’s humor, competition, tangents about national park badges and dogs, and a tight overtime finish. The episode showcases both deep outdoor expertise and the irreverent camaraderie that keeps listeners coming back.
Key Discussion Points and Highlights
1. Opening Banter and Birthday Celebrations
[00:44–02:01]
- Spencer opens by wishing engineer Phil Taylor a happy 35th birthday, prompting jokes about “getting too old for new software” and beard-growing attempts.
- “Maybe 35 is the year where I can grow a beard. It never is. I’m hoping 36 is the magic number.” – Phil [01:28]
2. Infrequently Asked Question (IFAQ) Segment
[02:02–03:21]
- Phil digs into podcast recording tech, explaining his gear to a curious 14-year-old emailer.
- “I do everything into this fancy...Allen and Heath digital mixing board...I use a software called Pro Tools.” – Phil [02:26]
- The team jokes about Phil’s planned “new studio” as a birthday gift “in 2026” and whether AI will replace him.
3. Junior Ranger Badges: Field Report
[03:50–06:07]
- Phil recounts getting Junior Ranger badges with his kids after a prior trivia question on the Junior Ranger program.
- It’s rigorous: “You can’t just walk up and ask for a badge. There’s a whole booklet and activities, then you take a pledge—it’s different at every park.” – Phil [04:18]
- The family gathered badges from Mount Rushmore, Badlands, Devil’s Tower (where badges were handed out “like candy”), and Wind Cave.
4. The Trivia Showdown Begins
[06:07–41:11]
Round-by-Round Highlights, with Notable Quotes & Timestamps
Round 1: Wildlife—“Which of these animals is a pachyderm?”
[06:37–07:29]
Choices: Goose, Hippo, Newt, Bear
Answer: Hippo
- “The whole room got it right. Pachyderm is a non-ruminant with thick skin—like elephants, rhinos, and hippos.” – Spencer [07:29]
Round 2: Gear—“11-letter instrument measuring bullet/arrow speed?”
[07:36–11:14]
Answer: Chronograph
- “The correct answer is chronograph. Chronometer is a watch, not the thing we’re talking about.” – Spencer [09:57]
- Team discusses types of chronographs: optical, magnetic, Doppler, and brands (Garmin, Labradar).
- “These instruments need a good cloudy day for lighting.” – Giannis [09:14]
Round 3: Conservation—“Which state is Great Basin National Park located in?”
[11:28–14:38]
Answer: Nevada
- Story of the “Forgotten Winchester”:
- “Great Basin is where the Forgotten Winchester was discovered in 2014…A 143 year old gun found leaning against a juniper tree.” – Spencer [13:33]
- “It’s good to know there are places in this country where something that big could be leaning against a tree and not be seen for over a hundred years.” – Giannis [14:38]
Round 4: Hunting/Animals—“DHPP vaccine for dogs prevents ___, hepatitis, parainfluenza, & parvo?”
[15:22–19:47]
Answer: Distemper
- “The correct answer is distemper…the DHPP vaccine is considered a core vaccine.” – Spencer [19:07]
- Tangent: Rattlesnake vaccine for dogs—Seth advises, “I recommend not doing it.” [20:02]
Round 5: Fishing—“This holy tool, also called a persuader, is the club anglers use to kill fish.”
[20:32–23:06]
Answer: Priest
- “Brody’s dad made that…with a garden hose so it doesn’t rattle around the boat…The answer is priest, comes from administering last rites to the fish.” – Spencer [21:10/23:06]
- Discussion of using vodka to anesthetize large halibut, and alternative tools (“a stout scrub brush will work too”).
- Wild anecdote: “If you whack a halibut right with one of those, instant death—lights out.” – Seth [23:29]
Scoreboard Update
[24:31]
At halftime:
- Tied in first: Brody & Nate (3)
- Seth & Corinne (2)
- Sarah & Giannis (1)
Round 6: Cooking—“McCormick says this pine-needle-like herb has a woody fragrance.”
[25:40–26:57]
Answer: Rosemary
- “The whole room says rosemary, and they got it right. Rosemary complements wild game...I love rosemary on potatoes.” – Spencer [26:57]
Round 7: Culture/TV—“Dale tells Hank the best part of deer hunting is getting out away from the government in this show.”
[27:30–30:02]
Answer: King of the Hill
- “The correct answer is King of the Hill.” – Spencer [30:02]
- Trivia: “Bobby kills a whitetail with his dad's pickup... Dale says, ‘take old Mr. Buck to the rendering plant for sausage-ification.’” [30:03]
Round 8: Forestry—“What does TSI mean?”
[31:41–34:57]
Answer: Timber Stand Improvement
- Amusing debate about whether “Tree Stand Improvement” counts as correct.
- “I don’t think we’re gonna give it to Nate...No one ever is going to say ‘a stand of trees’ if you just say ‘tree stand.’” – Spencer [34:44]
- Seth, former forestry student: “It’s fun to manipulate the landscape in a positive way and see it pay off.” [35:31]
Round 9: Fishing Vocabulary—“This 10-letter word means the junction of two rivers…”
[36:28–37:34]
Answer: Confluence
- “The correct answer is confluence.” – Spencer [37:41]
- Amusing aside: there’s a marijuana store in Three Rivers, Michigan named “Confluence.” [37:20]
Round 10: Wildlife—“The largest terrestrial slug in North America named after a food.”
[39:04–40:46]
Answer: Banana Slug
- “I saw one recently that was so big I had to stop a conversation and be like, look at the size of it.” – Seth [39:28]
- Fun facts: Banana slugs can grow up to 10 inches and are key forest scavengers.
- PSA: Don’t eat banana slugs—“Almost killed him. So much mucus blocked his airway.” – Seth [41:04]
5. Tiebreaker & Champions
[41:20–45:19]
- Tiebreaker:
- “What is the minimum score for a non-typical American elk in the Boone & Crockett record book?” [41:27]
- Closest answer wins.
- Seth: 370 | Brody: 380 | Correct Answer: 385
- Winner: Brody, for being closest.
- Charity: $500 donated to French Creek Valley Conservancy (PA)
- “French Creek...is a very pristine stream...with a lot of species that were around when George Washington was around. He almost died on French Creek—canoe tipped over.” – Brody [44:47]
Notable Quotes
Tech & Production
- “I use a software called Pro Tools...that’s the one software I’m very fast on so I’m scared to stop using it.” – Phil [02:49]
Field Reports
- “You can’t just walk up to a park ranger and ask for a badge…there’s a booklet, activities, and an oath.” – Phil [04:18]
Conservation & Outdoorsmanship
- “It’s good to know there are places in this country where something that big [a gun] could be leaning against a tree and not be seen by a human for over a hundred years.” – Giannis [14:38]
Classic Humor
- “It looks like the second floor is the dog vomit, dog shit zone in this office.” – Brody [18:14]
- “King of the Hill. Beverly Hills, 90210. Same thing.” – (paraphrased during joke answers) [29:48]
Tiebreaker / Final Moments
- “Close, but not close enough.” – Seth [45:19]
Structure & Show Flow
- Podcast opens with personal banter, tech talk, and a listener question.
- Trivia rounds are interspersed with outdoor stories and crew banter, blending real expertise with irreverent humor.
- Tiebreaker decides the winner, who designates a conservation organization for the donation.
- Focus remains on educational, surprising, and funny moments related to the outdoor world.
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [00:44] – Birthday greetings, opening banter
- [02:02] – IFAQ segment: podcast recording gear
- [03:50] – Junior Ranger badge story
- [06:07] – Trivia game begins
- [24:31] – Halftime scoreboard
- [37:34] – Discussion of slang, word origins
- [41:20] – Overtime/tiebreaker question
- [44:47] – Donation pick and closing
Tone and Style
The episode is spirited, casual, and loaded with half-serious, half-silly expertise. Hosts and guests openly admit their mistakes, challenge each other, and offer inside-baseball nuggets about the hunting/fishing/outdoor life community. Quotes are frequently sarcastic or dry, and camaraderie is constant, including some self-mockery and good-natured ribbing about wrong answers.
Conclusion
This episode of MeatEater Trivia is another showcase of outdoor trivia, inside jokes, tangents on real-world outdoor minutiae, and the MeatEater crew’s signature chemistry. Whether learning about the “priest,” the importance of Junior Ranger badges, or just laughing at the panel’s dog stories, even those totally new to the podcast will get a sense of both grassroots conservation values and quirky, competitive fun. Brody wins the close contest and designates French Creek Valley Conservancy as the beneficiary, ensuring—true to the show’s tagline—“conservation always wins.”