The MeatEater Podcast – Ep. 797: Game On, Suckers! MeatEater Trivia CXCII
Date: November 26, 2025
Host: Randall Williams (guest host, filling in for Steven Rinella)
Players: Cal (“the birthday boy”), Spencer, Hillary, Logan, Roman, Nate Mason
Engineer: Phil
Theme: “MeatEater Trivia”—a lively, humbling, and humor-filled special episode featuring a ten-round quiz game spanning hunting, fishing, conservation, cooking, natural history, and pop culture of the outdoors. The prize? A $500 donation to the winner’s conservation organization of choice.
Episode Overview
In this competitive and comedic round of MeatEater Trivia, guest host Randall Williams challenges a crew of staple MeatEater personalities with trivia questions across the podcast’s four verticals: hunting, fishing, conservation, and cooking. As always, conservation “wins”—the winner gets to donate $500 to the cause of their choosing.
The episode is marked by the departure (to a new job) of beloved player Ryan “Cal” Callahan, competitive banter, multiple moments of collective brain-fog, and lots of unscripted fun.
Key Discussion Points & Segment Timestamps
1. Warm-up & Introductions (02:39)
- Randall Williams opens with a lighthearted tone, welcomes the team, and introduces the trivia game format.
- Special mention for Cal (“the birthday boy”) and his upcoming new job as BHA CEO.
- Memorable quote:
- (Cal, on becoming BHA CEO, 07:06):
“I quit wearing ties in D.C. quite a while ago because... I gotta relearn the YouTube video every time.”
- (Cal, on becoming BHA CEO, 07:06):
2. Infrequently Asked Question (IFAQ) Read-Aloud & Banter (03:04)
- Listener Nick Halverson gives props to Dr. Randall and Phil for dry wit and creative segments.
- Everyone reminisces about the infamous “Hundreds of Beavers” bit and Idaho Beaver Drop.
- Notable banter:
- (Hillary, on old stories in outdoor circles, 05:19):
“They rehash the Idaho Beaver drop every year or a couple of years. And people love it… that was done in, like, 1949.”
- (Hillary, on old stories in outdoor circles, 05:19):
3. Cal’s Last Game as Regular & Reflections on Conservation Coalitions (06:29)
- Cal shares excitement for BHA (Backcountry Hunters & Anglers), unity in conservation, and fighting against the narrative of “people can’t get along.”
- Quote:
- (Cal, 08:38):
“...right now there’s definitely—we’re being force fed a bunch of BS on how these places don’t have value or they could be better served in a certain way… I think there’s a lot of positive work to be done on building big coalitions of groups… And I just think that’s a bunch of crap.”
- (Cal, 08:38):
MeatEater Trivia Game Begins! (10 Rounds starting at 10:12)
Each round features outdoorsy knowledge—often resulting in a group groan, a learning moment, or friendly ribbing.
Question 1 (Cooking): Leading Cause of Foodborne Hospitalization (10:12)
- Question: “According to the CDC, which pathogen is the leading cause of hospitalization due to foodborne illness in the United States?”
Choices: Salmonella, E. Coli, Norovirus, or Botulinum - Correct Answer: Norovirus
- Memorable moment:
- (Randall, 12:39):
“Symptoms of norovirus include nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, diarrhea, headaches, diarrhea, and muscle aches and diarrhea.”
- (Randall, 12:39):
- Everyone guesses wrong.
- Salads and trade show travel stories ensue.
Question 2 (Hunting): Shot Material Densities (13:59)
- Order from densest to least: Lead, tungsten, steel, bismuth
- Correct Answer: Tungsten, lead, bismuth, steel
- Nobody gets it right; detailed discussion on non-toxic shot follows.
- Takeaway: Older hunters lament steel; tungsten nearly twice as dense as lead but pricey.
Question 3 (Natural History): Ice Age Epoch (17:44)
- 11-letter word for the epoch ending 11,000 years ago:
- Correct Answer: Pleistocene
- Most answer Paleolithic, only Cal nails it.
- Randall’s comment:
- (21:06): “It’s one of Steven Rinella’s favorite words.”
Question 4 (Woodsmanship): International Distress Signal (26:36)
- How many gunshots/whistle blows = distress signal?
- Answer: 3
- All but one get it right.
- Real-world context: Oregon rescue search and a wild “three weeks stranded” survival story.
Question 5 (Plants): Clumpy Grass Name (29:01)
- Only spreads from base or seeding, famous for tufts/clumps
- Answer: Bunchgrass (alternatively, tussock)
- Nate says fescue (correct as a type of bunchgrass)—quick ecology lesson ensues.
Question 6 (Fishing): Catfish with Squarish Tail (33:43)
- Of big three catfish species, which lacks a forked tail?
- Answer: Flathead
- Several miss it, discussion on “channel vs blue,” and trivia night recall.
Question 7 (Geology): Types of Rocks (37:31)
- Name two of three main rock types.
- Answer: Igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary
- Multiple funny variants: “sedentary,” “ignorance,” “volcanic.”
- Geological terms sidebar: “mafic” and “felsic.”
Question 8 (Cinema): Classic Canoeing Catastrophe Movie (40:53)
- 1972 film: Four businessmen, doomed river trip.
- Answer: Deliverance
- Only Cal gets it, rest guess “Without a Paddle.”
- Randall, 43:29:
"Every now and then I consider doing a special 60 Minute Movie Club episode on [Deliverance], but I don't think it would be good for our company."
Question 9 (Fishing): Fish Egg Membrane (45:37)
- Five-letter word for the egg membrane/sac in salmonids:
- Answer: Skein
- Only Cal answers correctly, spelling banter follows.
Question 10 (Navigation): Compass Directions (53:11)
- Term for directions like SW/SE/NW/NE:
- Answer: Ordinal
- Everyone flails with creative answers (“bishop,” “medial,” “tertiary,” “eagle”).
Tiebreaker: Life Jacket Stats (58:16)
- What % of drowning victims weren’t wearing life jackets (2024 data)?
- Answer: 87%
- Closest guess: Nate at 88%.
Final Scoreboard & Winner
- Winner: Cal (Ryan Callahan), with a comfortable margin.
- Donation: Cal selects BHA, specifically highlighting an “incredible conservationist working the phones” at BHA.
- Set up as his likely final game as a MeatEater regular, with farewells, laughs, and humility about today’s struggle.
Notable Quotes & Moments
- On Conservation & Working Together:
- (Cal, 08:38): “I talk to people I disagree with all the time and it’s always a good conversation… building big coalitions of groups that all these people tell us can’t get along. And I just think that’s a bunch of crap.”
- On Norovirus (Randall, humorously):
- (12:39): “Symptoms of norovirus include nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, diarrhea, headaches, diarrhea, and muscle aches and diarrhea.”
- On Getting Humbled by Trivia:
- (Randall, 52:33): “The game is effectively over because Ryan Callahan has two points in the lead and cannot lose… Why don’t we throw out a lame duck here…”
- On Deliverance:
- (Randall, 43:29): “...I don’t think it would be good for our company” if they did an episode about Deliverance.
- On Playing Along/“Gang” and “Team”:
- Ongoing riff about Randall’s use of the words “gang” and “team,” which some YouTube commenters apparently dislike:
- (Phil, 22:14): “If you are a person who's ever complained about Randall saying gang or team... just stop listening to MeatEater content.”
- On Embarrassment at Trivia Defeat:
- (Hillary, 62:00): “No. I’ve never been so embarrassed to win.”
Takeaways, Tone, and Episode Spirit
- Tone: Irreverent, self-deprecating, competitive, and friendly—a group of outdoor experts repeatedly humbled by their own trivia game.
- Spirit: Even the pros don’t know everything. Being stumped leads to learning and laughs, with a lot of love for wild places and each other.
- Many questions resulted in “goose eggs,” highlighting the challenge and camaraderie of competitive trivia.
- Nugget of wisdom: “If you got a perfect game on today’s episode, email me at triviator.com… and yeah, I'd like to know you.” (Randall, 56:42)
Summary Table: Key Questions & Answers
| Topic | Question Highlight | Correct Answer | |------------|------------------------------------------------------|---------------------| | Cooking | Leading hospitalized foodborne pathogen? | Norovirus | | Hunting | Shot material, densest to least? | Tungsten, Lead, Bismuth, Steel | | History | Ice age epoch (11 letters)? | Pleistocene | | Woodcraft | Intl. distress signal (gunshots/whistles)? | 3 | | Plants | Clumpy grass type? | Bunchgrass/Tussock | | Fishing | Big 3 catfish without forked tail? | Flathead | | Geology | Two of three major rock types? | Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic | | Cinema | 1972 canoe disaster film? | Deliverance | | Fishing | 5-letter word for salmon egg sac? | Skein | | Navigation | Directions like NW/SE on compass? | Ordinal | | Tiebreaker | % drowning victims without life jacket? (2024) | 87 |
For Listeners Who Missed the Game
This episode is a must for fans of outdoor knowledge, humility, and humor. It showcases the unpredictabilities of even seasoned outdoorspeople facing obscure (and not-so-obscure) questions, with the spirit of conservation winning at the end.
Expect lots of laughs, a bit of self-roasting, hard-won facts (often after wild guesses), and the camaraderie of the MeatEater crew bidding Cal a fond, funny (not-so-final) farewell.
Conservation wins, Cal wins, and everyone has something new to learn (and Google).
