The MeatEater Podcast

Ep. 778: Game On, Suckers! MeatEater Trivia CLXXXVI

Release Date: October 15, 2025
Host: Spencer Newharth
Guests: Randall Brody, John, Nate, Max, Dr. Solomon David, Brody Henderson

Overview

In this lively installment of the MeatEater Trivia series, host Spencer Newharth challenges the panel—made up of seasoned staff, recurring personalities, and special guest Dr. Solomon David—to a ten-round, nature-centric quiz spanning hunting, fishing, conservation, and cooking. A key highlight: the winner determines where a $500 (or potentially doubled) donation goes to a conservation organization of their choice. The episode is infused with humor, camaraderie, and surprising facts, making it both entertaining and educational for listeners interested in the outdoors.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Meet the Panel and Featured Guest

• Dr. Solomon David’s Research on Native Fish

  • Introduced as a University of Minnesota fisheries ecologist focusing on “underappreciated fish like gars, buffalo, suckers”—he also identifies the MeatEater logo fish as a shorthead redhorse (01:23).
  • Fun Fact: The scientific name is Moxostoma macrolepidotum.

• Team Banter: Midwestern Replacements and Roles

  • Max takes over as the office's “lovable northern” role after Chester departs (03:06).

2. Pre-Game Banter & FAQs

• Pika or "Pika" Pronunciation Debate
  • Merriam-Webster recognizes both pronunciations.
  • “You could either sound like Brody, or like a child raised on Pokemon. It’s pika.” —John (04:25)

3. The Quiz: Questions, Answers & Trivia

Hunting, Fishing, Conservation, Cooking Categories

Round 1: Hunting—Cheapest Farmland in the Midwest

• Missouri has the lowest farmland price ($5,000/acre).
• “The correct answer is Missouri.” —Spencer (06:33)
  • Data note: Most expensive: Iowa, California; Least expensive: Wyoming, New Mexico.

Round 2: Cooking—The Butcher’s Cleaver

• Synonym for hatchet/chopper: “Cleaver”
  • “Brody says ‘cleaver.’ The correct answer is cleaver. A recent test from Serious Eats found that cleaver sharpness is far more important than cleaver weight…” —Spencer (08:34)

Round 3: Fishing—Types of ‘Buffalo’

• Smallmouth, bigmouth, and black: All are types of buffalo suckers.
  • Dr. David shares more about buffalo fish longevity: “They can reach weights of 70 lbs and live longer than 100 years.” (11:10-11:39)
  • Trivia: Dr. David ate “buffalo ribs” at a Native Fish for Tomorrow event (12:04).

Round 4: Wildlife—Cartoon Trivia

• “This cartoon animal, with a sidekick named Boo Boo, lived in Jellystone Park”: Yogi Bear
  • “The correct answer is Yogi… He got his own cartoon, The Yogi Bear Show, in 1961.” —Spencer (14:59)

Round 5: Conservation—Notable Obituaries

• “This conservationist… died on October 1, 2025”: Jane Goodall
  • “RIP. Dr. Jane Goodall spent over six decades studying chimpanzees in Tanzania…” —Spencer (18:08)

Mid-Game Scoreboard (18:39):

• Brody Henderson leads with 5/5.
• Randall, Nate, Solomon: 4 each.
• John, Max: 1 each.

Round 6: Gear—Brand (Color + Shape)

• “Most innovative mountain equipment in the world”: Black Diamond
  • “Yvon Chouinard created Chouinard Equipment… then was purchased and turned into Black Diamond.” —Spencer (22:27-22:58)

Round 7: Public Lands—Canada’s Most Visited National Park

• Banff
  • “Banff had 4.3 million visitors last year.” —Spencer (24:57)

Round 8: Cooking—Chemist & Condiments

• Ernest Wright’s smoky fluid: Liquid Smoke
  • “Liquid smoke is created by collecting droplets of condensation after burning sawdust…” (28:09)

Round 9: Hunting—Best Spot to Shoot a Deer

• “Place that generates steam and hot water, also Outdoor Life’s ‘best spot’ to shoot a deer”: Boiler Room
  • “The boiler room refers to a deer's vitals, where the heart meets the lungs.” —Spencer (31:01)

Round 10: Conservation—Unique Pollinators

• “The only mammal on the USDA’s Very Important Pollinator List, crucial for agave and saguaro cacti”: Bat
  • “Bats pollinate 528 plant species worldwide, including dragon fruit, bananas, mangoes, coconuts, and avocados.” —Spencer (33:47-34:30)
  • “You should actually cheers a bat every time you have a margarita.” —Spencer (34:28)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Our logo… is a squirrel riding a fish… That is absolutely a short head red horse—that’s our logo that’s on everything we do.”
  —Spencer (01:57)

• “Bigmouth buffalo is one of our largest planktivorous fish… They get huge, compete with invasive carp, and can live over 100 years.”
  —Dr. Solomon David (11:39)

• “I would say they come off just like actual, you know, flesh off the... meat off the ribs and, you know, not too... not too fishy.”
  —Dr. Solomon David on eating buffalo (12:19)

• “You could either sound like Brody, or like a child raised on Pokémon. It's pika.”
  —John (04:25)

• “As a reminder, if [Brody] gets this right, not only does he win the game, but we will double the donation to $1,000 today.”
  —Spencer (32:41)

• “You should actually cheers a bat every time you have a margarita, because bat... because agave makes tequila and bats make agave.”
  —Spencer (34:28)

• “Native Fish for Tomorrow… do a bunch of outreach activities just promoting native fish... taking kids out fishing, putting together activities, submitting comments to DNR, promoting to the public.”
  —Dr. Solomon David (34:52)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Guest Introduction + Buffalo Fish Primer: 01:23–02:33
• Pika Pronunciation Debate: 03:52–04:36
• Trivia Game Begins: 05:04
• Q1—Cheapest Farmland: 05:29–06:35
• Q2—Butcher’s Cleaver: 07:38–08:34
• Q3—Buffalo Sucker Fish: 09:29–12:36
• Q4—Yogi Bear: 12:58–15:56
• Q5—Jane Goodall: 16:11–18:08
• Mid-Game Scoreboard: 18:39
• Q6—Black Diamond (Gear): 19:57–22:58
• Q7—Banff National Park: 23:24–25:57
• Q8—Liquid Smoke: 25:56–28:44
• Q9—Deer “Boiler Room”: 29:07–31:01
• Q10—Bat: Pollinator Extraordinaire: 31:42–34:30
• Winning Decision & Donation: 34:42–35:22

Outcome & Donation

Brody Henderson wins with a perfect score. The $1,000 prize is donated to Native Fish for Tomorrow, supporting educational outreach, youth fishing activities, and native fish conservation policy efforts. Dr. Solomon David, whose expertise fit the theme, expresses gratitude—his organization’s mission resonates with the show’s conservation ethos.

Final Thoughts

This episode showcases the MeatEater crew’s depth and irreverence, blending odd-ball trivia with genuine wildlife science. Listeners gain surprising facts (from the cleaver’s role in butchery to bats’ tequila connection), while the episode underscores the idea that understanding and protecting the natural world benefits everyone: “Conservation always wins.”

For more trivia and in-depth discussions on all things outdoors, tune in weekly to The MeatEater Podcast.