The MeatEater Podcast — Ep. 788: Game On, Suckers! MeatEater Trivia CLXXXIX

Date: November 5, 2025
Host: Spencer Newarth
Guests: Giannis, Randall, Corey, Nate, Seth, Brody, Cal
Theme: Halloween banter, outdoor knowledge, hunting and conservation trivia

Overview

In this lively installment of MeatEater Trivia, host Spencer Newarth challenges a roomful of MeatEater regulars with 10 rounds of questions covering hunting, fishing, conservation, and wild foods. The stakes are high, as the winner receives a $500 donation from MeatEater to a conservation organization of their choice. Expect plenty of laughter, some irreverent banter, and intriguing facts about the outdoors.

Episode Breakdown

1. Halloween Banter & Warm-up [00:30–08:10]

• The episode opens with a round of Halloween costume chat. Most of the crew opt for hunting (in the field) over costumes.
  • Randall: "Last year my wife picked out my costume, bought it, gave it to me... This year she has not. And I have put in the same amount of effort this year as I did last year." [01:38]
  • Phil (Engineer): "I'm not a huge dresser upper for Halloween. I like the movies. I like the vibes. I like the spookiness. I don't like putting on an uncomfortable costume." [02:06]
• Discussion turns to candy bowl strategies and spooky Ring camera pranks, closing with camaraderie about post-work drinks and company culture.
• Spencer notes Jeopardy seemingly lifted a MeatEater trivia question for their own show, leading to some playful accusations.
  • Spencer: "Either they are thieving from me or I'm just doing that good of a job that it qualifies for Final Jeopardy." [07:26]

2. Trivia Game — Questions & Notable Discussions [08:14–45:33]

Round-by-round Highlights & Timestamps

Q1. [08:14]

HUNTING: "Which of these is not a straight wall cartridge?
A) .450 Bushmaster, B) .280 Ackley Improved, C) .45-70 Government, D) .350 Legend"

• All correctly guess: .280 Ackley Improved.
• Cal: "The .280 Ackley Improved is like a hundred feet per second slower than the 7mm mag... they're very, very close." [10:19]
• Discussion on the merits and history of the .280 Ackley and straight wall cartridges.

Q2. [12:47]

FISHING: "What does the fishing conservation acronym AIS stand for?"

• Answer: "Aquatic Invasive Species."
• Mixed confidence; a few struggle with the acronym.
• Spencer: "Aquatic invasive species are unwanted non native plants and animals such as curly pond weed, zebra mussels, common carp and bullfrogs." [15:17]

Q3. [16:12]

COOKING (Pop Culture): "Kathy Bates serves Henry Winkler python as the main course and squirrel for dessert in this 1998 comedy."

• Answer: "The Waterboy."
• Spencer: "The film takes place in the swamps of Louisiana where Kathy Bates’ 31-year-old son is Adam Sandler." [18:02]
• Cal: "That snake looks delicious. What part do you think I'm about to eat? Basically, a snake don't have pods, but if I had to call it anything, I would say it's his knee." (Playing a scene from the movie) [18:26]

Q4. [19:45]

CONSERVATION: "The U.S. Air force sprayed 11 million gallons of this herbicide during the Vietnam War in an effort to clear dense forests."

• Answer: "Agent Orange."
• Mix-up between napalm, DDT, and Agent Orange.
• Spencer: “Agent Orange destroyed about 25% of South Vietnam's jungle, with the effect still being felt today.” [23:00]

Q5. [23:34]

ECOLOGY: "NOAA defines this six-letter word as 'a swamp or shallow lake system, usually a backwater to a larger body of water.'"

• Answer: "Slough."
• Some guess “lagoon,” confusion over wetland terms.
• Spencer: "Although most of the country pronounces it 'slough,' parts of New England say it to rhyme with 'cow,' so it’d be ‘slough.’” [27:32]

[Scoreboard Update: Randall, Seth, Cal lead with 4; Giannis has just 1] [28:14]

Q6. [30:00]

GEAR: "This outdoor retailer, named after the highest point in Lake County, Illinois, filed for bankruptcy in 2017."

• Answer: "Gander Mountain."
• Spencer: "At one point, Gander Mountain had 162 stores across the country... It’s unclear what the future holds for Gander, but it seems they've been defunct since 2022." [32:14]
• Tangent: fond memories of first purchases from Gander Mountain.

Q7. [33:47]

CONSERVATION: "Only two northern blank rhinos remain today, and both are female."

• Answer: "White" (Northern White Rhino).
• Spencer: "The last male Northern White rhino died in 2018 at a conservancy in Kenya. The two females that are left are his daughter and granddaughter." [35:22]

Q8. [36:01]

FORAGING: "The largest city in Saskatchewan and another name for the Serviceberry."

• Answer: "Saskatoon."
• Discussion of the berry's underappreciated status, tangents on pie recipes and local abundance.

[Scoreboard Update: Randall takes a narrow lead] [38:44]

Q9. [39:12]

HUNTING (Media): "___ Sporting Journal, which celebrated their 50th anniversary this year, claims to be 'the periodical of choice for discerning sportsmen and women.'"

• Answer: "Gray's."
• Cal: "I rented a house that had volumes... decades worth. That was pretty fun to cruise through." [39:56]

Q10. [41:50]

FISHING: "According to a 2022 report, 95% of Lake Michigan's walleye harvest happens in this bay."

• Answer: "Green Bay."
• Spencer: "It’s estimated that about 300,000 walleye are caught in Green Bay every year... thanks to stocking and habitat restoration, it's now some of the most productive walleye water on the planet." [43:50]
• Giannis shares: "When we were there, most people said that as kids there was no walleye spawn... now, because of cleanup efforts, you can find walleye way upstream, which is way cool." [44:26]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Spencer (on Jeopardy): "Either they are thieving from me or I'm just doing that good of a job that it qualifies for Final Jeopardy." [07:26]
• Phil (Engineer, about Halloween): "I like the movies. I like the vibes. I like the spookiness. I don't like putting on an uncomfortable costume." [02:06]
• Cal (on the .280 Ackley): “…the first rifle I purchased as an adult. Got it with my BHA lifetime membership. It’s a big, big deal.” [10:41]
• Spencer (tying in movie trivia): "The film takes place in the swamps of Louisiana... other Cajun delicacies like frog cakes and grilled gator." [18:02]

Winner Announced & Conservation Donation [45:44]

Randall wins the round with 8 correct answers.

• Randall: "We got an email recently from a listener whose father passed and they started a nonprofit in his honor, buying lifetime hunting and fishing licenses for little kids... The Little Tags Foundation... set some kids up for a lifetime of hunting, fishing." [45:07]
• Spencer: "That's a way better use of money than when Corey was going to do it." [45:21]

Key Takeaways

• Halloween Spirit: The episode opens with banter showing the team's humorous, relaxed vibe, sharing costume plans (or the lack thereof) and family traditions.
• Irreverent Camaraderie: The trivia game is equal parts competitive and light-hearted. Mistakes and guesses are met with teasing, and there’s never a dull moment.
• Conservation Focus: True to MeatEater’s mission, the $500 prize supports youth hunting/fishing conservation via the winning guest’s chosen cause.
• Learning Moments: Listeners learn real-world distinctions (straight wall cartridge definition, AIS acronym, significance of “slough” in wetland ecology) and hear about little-known facts (e.g., only two northern white rhinos left, unique etymologies).
• Nostalgia & Storytelling: Personal anecdotes—first hunting rifles, amateur angling failures, childhood memories—make the episode engaging and relatable.

Notable Episode Segments (Timestamps)

• [00:30–08:10] Pre-game banter & Halloween laughs
• [08:14–45:33] Full trivia game
• [41:50–44:43] High-stakes final question and winner reveal
• [44:55–45:33] Prize donation and closing remarks

Final Note

This episode delivers another signature round of MeatEater Trivia: full of laughs, obscure outdoor facts, affable competition, and a healthy dose of conservation good deeds. Whether you’re an avid hunter or simply an enthusiast for wild trivia, this episode jars open facts you didn’t know you wanted to know—and just might make you Google “Saskatoon berry pie.”

“MeatEater Trivia: The only game show where conservation always wins.”