Tournament of Fripperies (Live with the Cast and Creators of Severance)

Summary

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The Severance Podcast with Ben Stiller & Adam Scott

Episode: Tournament of Fripperies (Live with the Cast and Creators of Severance)
Date: August 21, 2025
Podcast by: Audacy, Red Hour, Great Scott

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Overview

This live episode brings together the creators and leading cast of the Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning show Severance for an evening of laughter, behind-the-scenes stories, and a fiercely goofy Severance-themed game show competition. Co-hosts Ben Stiller and Adam Scott are joined by creator Dan Erickson, and stars Britt Lower, Zach Cherry, John Turturro, Patricia Arquette, and Tramell Tillman, with guest host Patton Oswalt leading the cast through a “Tournament of Fripperies”—a comedic, knowledge-testing game. The event blends reminiscence, rapid-fire quips, and spirited contest, offering a unique look at the show’s collaborative heart and comic spirit.

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Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. Welcome & Evolution of the Podcast

[04:31 - 05:41]

• Adam and Ben reflect on the podcast’s journey from episode recaps with cast, crew, and superfans, to broader conversations about inspirations and cultural touchpoints—expanding the “Severance” universe for fans.
• Tonight marks a new venture: a live game show drawing the cast and creators into friendly rivalry.

2. The Importance of Play (“Kier’s Lesson”)

[05:29 - 06:03]

• Adam and Ben recite the Kier Egan “importance of play” quote, setting the episode’s playful, communal tone:
  • Ben Stiller (05:49): “The act of play can unite humans from varying levels of intelligence and circumstance and aid them in forming lasting, valued friendships.”

3. Set Stories & Introduction of Contestants via “Bendo” Photos

[07:08 - 19:35]

• The cast and creators are introduced to the audience one-by-one, using behind-the-scenes photos taken by a mysterious set photographer, Bendo.
• Ben and Adam joke about Bendo’s mysterious origins (“he just sort of appeared…with his little fanny pack thing and Leica film camera” [07:13-07:56]).
• Highlights from each guest:
  • Dan Erickson (Creator/Judge): Remembers chaos of on-set rewrites amidst torrential rain and goats eating shoelaces during takes.
    • Adam Scott (09:53): “You don’t get co-stars eating your shoelaces all that often.”
  • Tramell Tillman (Milchick): Reflects on his “best friend Kier” photo, comedy on set, and getting stuck in the “bathroom on the severed floor” (12:01).
  • Britt Lower, Zach Cherry, John Turturro: Recount shooting at the “tallest waterfall in the world”, the challenge of heavy coats and built-in heating packs, and the admiration for Tramell’s cool wardrobe.
  • Patricia Arquette: Shares her candid reaction to a set photo taken during a costume test, sparked by a real-life commotion outside the Bronx studio.

4. Panel Banter & Podcast Shoutouts

[15:46 - 17:11]

• Lighthearted discussion about an imaginary “Soup and Smoothies” podcast.
• Britt Lower (17:00): “If Chris Walken was here, he would just say, ‘Ah, soup. Yeah. Soup.’”
• The cast riff on their food preferences and (imagined) podcast spin-offs.

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Tournament of Fripperies: The Game Show

Hosted by Patton Oswalt [22:48 - End]

Rules & Format

[23:13 - 25:43]

• Three rounds: first as individuals, then teams, culminating in a tiebreaker.
• Creator Dan Erickson acts as judge and scorekeeper, wielding both authority and mock-corruption.

Notable Game Quotes

• Patton Oswalt (23:25): “You may know me from other streaming-centric game shows like Sopranos Family Feud and Emily in Jeopardy. But tonight we are playing the Tournament of Fripperies.”
• Dan Erickson (25:03): “You feculent thespians.”

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Round One: Who’s Who?

[25:59 - 37:15]

• Panelists guess which fellow cast member a specific, quirky fact belongs to.

Memorable Moments

• Zach Cherry’s High School Role (26:58):
  • Zach was “Sad Man on Train”; led to speculation, strategy, and confusion about who’s answering as their character or actor.
  • John Turturro (28:59): “I told my family to look out for that scene and said, at a certain moment, I will look directly at you…”
• Highlights about John Turturro’s childhood Knicks dream, team basketball preferences, and Britt’s high school basketball history.
• “If this Audi were a door, they’d be a screen door”—oddest fact goes to Britt Lower, with a runner-up for “circus tent flap” (34:09-36:16).

Round Two: Teams & “Real or Rickon?”

[37:16 - 45:13]

• Teams form with whimsically chosen names: The Icebergs, We Are Going to Lose, and Z Pack.
• Players guess whether philosophical quotes are from “Keir Egan,” “Ricken,” or real-world self-help books.
  • Bonus round reveals a quote from Ben Stiller and Janeane Garofalo’s “Feel This Book,” surprising the crowd:
    • Zach Cherry (44:16): “That last quote is from Janine Garofalo and Ben Stiller’s self-help book... Feel This Book, An Essential Guide to Self Empowerment, Spiritual Supremacy, and Sexual Satisfaction.”

Round Three: Big Words & Simplifying Lingo

[48:41 - 54:13]

• Challenge to define obscure or polysyllabic words used in Severance.
  • “Fetid”: widely interpreted as “rotten; spoiled,” with bonus points for use of examples and bribes (51:03).
• “Felicitations commemorating the occurrence of one’s emergence into corporate real” simplified by all teams to “Happy Birthday.”

Tiebreaker: Two Egans and a Lie

[54:24 - 57:47]

• Final multiple-choice question about Kier’s fourth appendix—only one body part “did not change at Woe’s Hollow”: the mouth.
• The victory is decided in part based on artistry (literally a drawing on an iPad)—the “Icebergs” win after a judge’s tie-breaking ruling.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• The Importance of Play:

  • Ben Stiller & Adam Scott [05:49]:
    “The act of play can unite humans from varying levels of intelligence and circumstance and aid them in forming lasting, valued friendships.”

• Game Show Chaos:

  • Adam Scott [28:12]:
    “Ben, I think we need to start cheating.”
  • John Turturro [28:59]:
    “I told my family to look out for that scene and said, at a certain moment, I will look directly at you during the scene. And then I did do that.”

• Game Host Patton Oswalt:

  • [23:25]:
    “You may know me from other streaming-centric game shows like Sopranos Family Feud and Emily in Jeopardy. But tonight we are playing the Tournament of Fripperies.”

• Dan Erickson, Mock-Corruption as Judge:

  • [49:03]:
    “I mean, they have all paid me differing amounts of money backstage. And it’s going to be a factor.”

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Segment Timestamps

• [04:28] Live show introduction (skip ads)
• [05:29] The importance of play - Kier Egan’s wisdom
• [07:08] Introduction, backstories, and Bendo set photographer mystery
• [09:53] Goat chaos on set (“You don’t get co-stars eating your shoelaces…”)
• [15:46] Discussion of food podcast spin-offs (“Soup and Smoothies”)
• [22:48] Introduction of guest host Patton Oswalt
• [23:13] Tournament of Fripperies rules and start
• [25:59 - 37:15] Round One: Who’s Who?
• [37:16 - 45:13] “Real or Rickon?” team quotes round
• [48:41 - 54:13] Expounding Polysyllabically: vocabulary round
• [54:24 - 57:47] Tiebreaker: Two Egans and a Lie
• [57:47] Icebergs named champions
• [59:16] Post-credits: note about a video version and ruling on the true “frippery champion”

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Episode Style & Takeaways

• Tone: Playful, self-aware, quick-witted—a blend of insider humor, warm camaraderie, and a love of the show’s lore.
• Highlights for Fans:
  • First-hand anecdotes about the challenges and quirks of Severance’s set.
  • Cast “in-jokes” and running gags about characters, real-life personality quirks, and podcast spillovers.
  • The game show brings out the cast’s friendly rivalry and sharp humor, offering a new lens on their off-screen personalities.
• Insider Treat:
  • Look for the video version on YouTube to see the Bendo photos, Patricia's artistic answers, and Randy George’s theremin performance of the Severance theme.

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For Listeners New and Old

This episode is a celebration of Severance’s creative community, packed with exclusive cast moments not seen on screen, and a testament to the show’s fandom and enduring workplace-absurdity spirit. Whether you’re deep into the Severance lore or just dropping in, this energetic, live episode is a reminder that even in the world of Lumen, the act of play truly unites.

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Transcript

[Ben Stiller]

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[Adam Scott]

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[Ben Stiller]

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[Adam Scott]

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[Ben Stiller]

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[Adam Scott]

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[Ben Stiller]

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[Adam Scott]

Is brought to you by the Farmer's Dog. Hey, it's me, Adam. And I'm really excited about this one because we have two dogs and like every family who has a dog or two, we love ours to a borderline crazy degree. But here's the thing. I never really thought about what our dogs eat. I assumed kibble was fine, but I also honestly didn't know anything about it. Turns out kibble is like lumen levels of mysterious. The farmer's dog, however, is a different story. They make fresh food for dogs using real meat and vegetables. And every recipe is formulated by their team of board certified vet nutritionists who are literal experts in what dogs should be Eating the farmer's dog also portions the food to your dog's unique needs so you know you're not overfeeding them. Why is that a big deal? Well, here's a fun Dogs who maintain a healthy weight can live up to two and a half years longer. And that's basically the amount of time you had to wait between seasons one and two of our show. That was a long time. Sorry about that. But if I get that much more time with our dogs, I'm in. So, yeah, I switched our dogs to the farmer's dog and you can too. Go try the farmer's dog today and get 50% off your first box of fresh, healthy food@the farmersdog.com severance. Plus you get free shipping right to your door. Just go to the farmersdog.com severance. This offer is for new customers only. Hey, everybody, it's Adam. If you hear this theremin version of the Severance main titles playing under my voice, you're not imagining it. It's from a live show that Ben and I put on this past weekend and today we're really excited to share it with you. We brought together Dan Erickson, Brit Lauer, John Turturro, Zach Cherry, Tramell Tillman and Patricia Arquette in front of a live audience to compete in a Severance themed game show. We even got the incredible Patton Oswald to. And before the competition got started, Ben and I talked with everyone about the moments behind some of the photos that someone named Bendo took on set. We had so much fun and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

[Zach Cherry]

Welcome.

[Adam Scott]

Hey, everybody.

[Ben Stiller]

Welcome to the first ever live taping of the Severance podcast with Ben and Adam.

[Adam Scott]

Yes, welcome. Thank you so much for being here. Oh, my God.

[Ben Stiller]

It's like a weird, weird dream or something, isn't it?

[Adam Scott]

It is. It's. And it's so great to be here. We love hosting this podcast. We started by just recapping the first season, we recapped the second season and we did it with cast crew, superfans. And then eventually we decided to switch it up and we started having people on that influenced us and inspired us while we were making the show and talking about the show with them.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. And it's been great to have conversations with filmmakers and comedians and musicians and people who just love the show or who have aspects of the show that they connect with. But tonight is gonna be a little different. Cause this is a whole different feel. Oh, it sure is. Yeah. Take a page out of the Lumen manager manual.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah, we Are taking Kier's early lesson about the importance of play to heart.

[Ben Stiller]

Which we all know.

[Adam Scott]

We sure do. Ben, what is the importance of play to you?

[Ben Stiller]

I mean, I would just give you the quote. Really? The quote from the handbook.

[Adam Scott]

Oh, sure. That we all know.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, that we all know. You want to recite it with me? Yeah.

[Adam Scott]

Okay.

[Ben Stiller]

The act of play can unite humans from varying levels of intelligence and circumstance and aid them in forming lasting, valued friendships.

[Adam Scott]

Valued friendships. Yes.

[Ben Stiller]

Very good.

[Adam Scott]

Thank you for doing that in sync with us.

[Ben Stiller]

And what way to better do that than by competing in a game show?

[Adam Scott]

Absolutely. That's right. Tonight, the Severance podcast proudly presents what we are calling a Tournament of Fripperies.

[Ben Stiller]

What exactly is a Tournament of fripperies?

[Adam Scott]

Adam, we all know what it means, right? I know what it means, but I'm not gonna say it right now.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, you don't need to say it. But I don't need to say it. I know that you know it. Yeah.

[Adam Scott]

But the fun thing is Tournament of fripperies is a game show to test everyone's severance knowledge.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah.

[Zach Cherry]

Which.

[Ben Stiller]

Which is very exciting. And we have a surprise host who is going to host the game show.

[Adam Scott]

That's right.

[Ben Stiller]

So that you and I can actually be contestants.

[Adam Scott]

That's right. We get to play the game. And it's an absolute surprise host. We don't even know who it is. But we're not going to keep everything a secret. Tonight, I think it's time to reveal our judge and our tournament contestants with some behind the scenes photos taken by someone named Bendo.

[Ben Stiller]

Right, Bendo.

[Adam Scott]

Ben, can you explain to the audience who Bendo is?

[Ben Stiller]

Bendo sort of became our production photographer, a set photographer who would be there when we were shooting the show. I'm not quite sure how he got the job.

[Adam Scott]

Right.

[Ben Stiller]

Or how he. He just sort of appeared.

[Zach Cherry]

Right.

[Ben Stiller]

And. Yeah. And started taking pictures with his camera.

[Adam Scott]

I feel like he wasn't actually hired. He just came to set and started taking photos.

[Ben Stiller]

It's hard to remember because it was like five years ago, but it was a while ago and I didn't recognize him. I think I might have asked where he came from.

[Adam Scott]

And he looked weirdly familiar to me.

[Ben Stiller]

He looked like a guy, you know, he had his camera and he had like his little, like, fanny pack thing. And he looked like a very professional set photographer.

[Adam Scott]

He was using a film camera, using.

[Ben Stiller]

A Leica film camera.

[Adam Scott]

He wouldn't stop talking about, I'm shooting real film.

[Ben Stiller]

Right. He's very excited. The fact you're shooting real film. He didn't have a blimp on the camera, so it made noise. So if he was shooting during a take, it would ruin the take.

[Adam Scott]

Always in my eyeline.

[Ben Stiller]

Always in the eyeline.

[Adam Scott]

I was like, oh, sorry. Sorry.

[Ben Stiller]

Right.

[Adam Scott]

Like, performative about saying sorry.

[Ben Stiller]

Right.

[Adam Scott]

Which made it even more annoying.

[Ben Stiller]

Sort of like it's better to, like, do first, ask later, apologize later type of thing. Apologize.

[Adam Scott]

Like, it's better to apologize later than to ask permission or something like that.

[Ben Stiller]

That might be it. Yeah.

[Adam Scott]

I think that's creepy.

[Ben Stiller]

So basically, he has been documenting the show for a few years and took.

[Adam Scott]

Some admittedly great photos along the way.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, I think it's. Sometime it's worth it. Anyway, we're gonna show some of his photographs and then introduce people based on the photograph. Okay, so why don't we take a look at the first Bendo photograph?

[Adam Scott]

Oh, oh, oh, There it is.

[Ben Stiller]

There it is. So there is. I think that's. That's Dan Erickson, the creator of the show. Let's bring him out. Dan Erickson.

[Dan Erickson]

How you doing?

[Ben Stiller]

Hello. Welcome.

[Dan Erickson]

Hi, buddy.

[Zach Cherry]

Hello. Hi. Oh, wow.

[Ben Stiller]

Dan.

[Zach Cherry]

Hello.

[Adam Scott]

All right, take a seat, Dan. Take a seat.

[Ben Stiller]

So how are you, Dan?

[Zach Cherry]

Yeah, I'm good.

[Dan Erickson]

I'm excited. I've never been on a game show before.

[Ben Stiller]

Really?

[Dan Erickson]

I don't know exactly what I'm doing.

[Ben Stiller]

Don't worry, we do.

[Zach Cherry]

Yeah.

[Adam Scott]

Okay, you guys, we're in complete control.

[Ben Stiller]

So do you remember when that photograph was taken? Do you remember what Bendo said to you or what happened?

[Dan Erickson]

I don't remember because this was, like. People have asked me if this was, like, staged, but no, I was like, in a utter panic when this picture was taken because we were, like, trying to get a rewrite done and it was like pulling, pouring down rain. Like, this was, you know.

[Adam Scott]

That's right.

[Ben Stiller]

Well, this was.

[Adam Scott]

We were out on a golf course.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, it was a golf course. And it was the mammalians. Nurturable set. And I do remember that there were some other creatures there, weren't there?

[Adam Scott]

There they are.

[Dan Erickson]

Oh, those creatures.

[Ben Stiller]

The goats.

[Dan Erickson]

Those creatures.

[Adam Scott]

It's gorgeous sound, isn't it?

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. Did you enjoy working with the goats, Adam?

[Adam Scott]

I did. You know, they would. When you're in the midst of a scene. There was no way to control the goats, so they would literally come over and eat our shoelaces while we were. While we were doing scenes. Which was fun because you don't get co stars eating your shoelaces all that often.

[Ben Stiller]

Not enough. Yeah.

[Adam Scott]

Other than John Turturro you know, I just want to say really quick. We thought that it would be great to have the creator of Severance here as our judge tonight.

[Ben Stiller]

Ah, that's right.

[Adam Scott]

He's going to be the judge.

[Zach Cherry]

How do we do it?

[Adam Scott]

He's gonna tally the scores and just preside generally over the contest because he has a big brain and he can handle it all.

[Dan Erickson]

I've been told I have to do some simple addition, which I think I remember how to do.

[Adam Scott]

Oh, yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

Okay, I think. All right. Well, then why don't we bring out our first official contestant?

[Adam Scott]

Let's see who the contestant is with. Another Bendo photo.

[Zach Cherry]

Here we go. Wow.

[Ben Stiller]

I do think it might be the incredible Tramell T.

[Adam Scott]

Tramell Tilghman, everybody. I feel like I'm dressed like the activities director on a cruise ship.

[Ben Stiller]

I feel like that, too. It's incredible. I was gonna wear that. And I'm so glad you pull it off.

[Adam Scott]

That would have been so embarrassing.

[Ben Stiller]

Adam Scott can pull it off.

[Dan Erickson]

You're kind of giving me tin Tin. And I know he doesn't literally wear that, but it's just a vibe.

[Adam Scott]

Tin Tin on a cruise ship or.

[Ben Stiller]

Like A golfer from 1932 or something.

[Adam Scott]

A golfer from 1932 whose name is Tin Tin and he's on a cruise.

[Ben Stiller]

That's right. And was wearing tap shoes.

[Tramell Tillman]

There we go.

[Ben Stiller]

You actually have taps on those shoes.

[Adam Scott]

Don't give away how we're gonna. The big finale for the end of July.

[Zach Cherry]

Come on.

[Ben Stiller]

Ben Tramell, welcome. Thank you.

[Adam Scott]

Yes, thank you.

[Zach Cherry]

How are you doing?

[Ben Stiller]

Good to be here. This is exciting.

[Tramell Tillman]

They finally let me out of the bathroom on the severed floor, I guess.

[Adam Scott]

So you've been there this whole time, which is crazy.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, yeah.

[Tramell Tillman]

Stuffy in there.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. Well, did you get some snacks and stuff? I did, I did.

[Tramell Tillman]

I have to thank Zach for getting a vending machine in there so I can.

[Adam Scott]

Excellent. Tramel, what comes to mind when you look at this photo that Bendo took?

[Tramell Tillman]

That was reminiscent. That's my best friend up there. Good old Kier.

[Adam Scott]

How was it acting with Kier?

[Tramell Tillman]

Oh, it was fantastic. He's not stiff at all.

[Ben Stiller]

Yep.

[Tramell Tillman]

He's a very generous scene partner.

[Ben Stiller]

Well, you know, we actually had Mark Geller, the actor who portrays Keir Egan on set, doing the Voice. Yes. So you guys could actually do it live together. Yeah.

[Tramell Tillman]

Which was great. Mark is fantastic.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah.

[Adam Scott]

He's so funny.

[Ben Stiller]

Just out of the blue, have you ever done comedy in your, like, stand up comedy? Did you?

[Tramell Tillman]

I was never paid to do comedy, but have You.

[Ben Stiller]

Have you done, like, stand up?

[Tramell Tillman]

No, No, I haven't. I haven't. I think stand up is terrifying. And my hat is off to people who do it and do it well.

[Adam Scott]

Well, you were great. You did this bit, this monologue with a dummy. All day.

[Zach Cherry]

All day.

[Adam Scott]

And it was so funny. All day.

[Zach Cherry]

Thank you.

[Adam Scott]

It was. It was. It was great.

[Tramell Tillman]

Appreciate that.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, yeah. All right, well, should we.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

Bring out the next contestant?

[Adam Scott]

Yeah, I think the next one might be another Bendo photo. Do you want to explain what photo he was taking here?

[Ben Stiller]

Oh, yeah. Okay. This is out at Woes Hollow. And this is the group. John Turturro.

[Zach Cherry]

Yes.

[Ben Stiller]

Awesome. Zack Cherry, Britt Lauer, and you and me.

[Adam Scott]

And we look so cool in those outfits.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. Well, let's bring these three people out. Ladies and gentlemen, Zack Cherry Britlauer and John Turturro.

[Zach Cherry]

Yeah. Welcome. Aye aye cap.

[Adam Scott]

Brit Lauer, John Turturro, Zack Cherry. As your activities director, I'm just here to say we're gonna have a great week. We have all kinds of stuff planned.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. How are you guys doing?

[Zach Cherry]

Good. Good.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. Are you excited for me?

[John Turturro]

I thought you were talking to the audience for a second, but I forgot the podcast has already started a while ago.

[Britt Lauer]

Yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

I'm like the warm up guy for the pod.

[Zach Cherry]

How's everybody doing?

[Ben Stiller]

All right. What do you guys remember about this photograph and shooting this moment and that experience by that tallest waterfall?

[Adam Scott]

And we should describe it for the podcast listeners. It's all of us standing in front of the tallest waterfall in the world.

[Patricia Arquette]

I look like I'm smiling at a small creature.

[John Turturro]

I look like I'm in a great mood.

[Britt Lauer]

I got my Dr. Zhivago thing.

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

Very Dr. Zhivago. Yeah.

[John Turturro]

The coats were heavy. I remember the coats were very, very heavy.

[Britt Lauer]

And the hats.

[Ben Stiller]

Where did you guys wear the heating packs? Because I remember Sarah Edwards, our incredible costume designer, made these heating packs that were built in.

[Adam Scott]

They were like electric jackets.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah.

[Patricia Arquette]

I wore electric socks.

[Britt Lauer]

I had toe warmers.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. And then, Britt, you had to dip your head in the water there.

[Patricia Arquette]

I did.

[Ben Stiller]

How was that?

[Patricia Arquette]

It was extremely cold because my body was warm, but my whole head was freezing.

[Zach Cherry]

Yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

Because like, most of the heat in your body goes out through your head, right?

[Adam Scott]

Yeah.

[Britt Lauer]

Yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

That's why you wear a hat when it's cold.

[Adam Scott]

It's incredible what you learn listening to the severance podcast.

[Ben Stiller]

This is why people love the podcast.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah. This is why we should also do a science podcast.

[Britt Lauer]

I just remember Tramel when he had his. The big white furry coat, I was just like, wow, look at him, you know? Yeah, he was kind of beautiful. It was just part of the environment.

[Adam Scott]

We were lugging around these big black jackets with these hats and sweating, and Tramiel just appears and just looks unbelievably cool.

[Zach Cherry]

Stunning.

[Ben Stiller]

So when you guys were on the podcast last, Brit and Zach, you guys were talking about this podcast that you guys were starting.

[Zach Cherry]

That's right.

[Ben Stiller]

What was it called? Soup and Smoothies.

[Zach Cherry]

Yeah, that's right.

[Patricia Arquette]

I mean, not just starting. It already exists.

[Ben Stiller]

Oh, it exists.

[Adam Scott]

Oh, it does.

[Patricia Arquette]

There's hundreds of episodes.

[Ben Stiller]

And where can you find that podcast?

[John Turturro]

That information will be released when the time is right.

[Adam Scott]

So on the podcast, you guys talk about soup and smoothies. Is it a soup versus smoothies, or is it just how much you enjoy Both.

[Patricia Arquette]

Yes.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah, I see. I get it.

[Ben Stiller]

Does, like, one person advocate for soup and it's like a point counterpoint sort of thing.

[Zach Cherry]

Yes.

[Ben Stiller]

Okay.

[Adam Scott]

It's like Frost, Nixon. John. What do you prefer, soup or smoothies?

[John Turturro]

Well, hold on. You're kind of encroaching on our turf, ears.

[Patricia Arquette]

This is our ip.

[Britt Lauer]

Well, you know, if Chris Walken was here, he would just say, ah, soup. Yeah. Ow. Yeah, soup. Soup.

[Adam Scott]

Okay, soup. So you and Chris Walken both prefer soup to smoothies?

[Zach Cherry]

Yeah.

[Britt Lauer]

And banana bread. We like banana bread too.

[Tramell Tillman]

Ooh, yeah, That's a great, good answer.

[Adam Scott]

That's a spin off podcast, the Banana Bread podcast.

[Britt Lauer]

Oh, yeah. Chris is a great cook, actually.

[Adam Scott]

Okay, it is time for our final photo from Bendo.

[Ben Stiller]

Okay, what's the shot? What do we got?

[Adam Scott]

Ah, interesting.

[Ben Stiller]

So let's bring her out. The incredible Patricia Arquette. It's a Shauna.

[Adam Scott]

Patricia.

[Ben Stiller]

Patricia, you're perfectly dressed for this set with a plan. How's it going?

[Patricia Arquette]

It's fine.

[Ben Stiller]

This photograph, this photograph, it's interesting, right?

[Adam Scott]

I don't think anyone's ever seen it before.

[Ben Stiller]

Right, yeah. This is one. I was there too, I think, when Mendo came and took the shot of you. What was happening here? Because it was outside of our stages in the Bronx, York. Stages in the South Bronx.

[Patricia Arquette]

Exactly. And this was a test for a Zelbig outfit, but I heard a loud noise outside and I pushed open that big door behind.

[Ben Stiller]

Oh, really?

[Patricia Arquette]

And there was a hole fight happening outside.

[Ben Stiller]

Oh, really? Oh, yeah.

[Patricia Arquette]

See my concern in my face. I started crying. My mascara started.

[Ben Stiller]

What was happening?

[Patricia Arquette]

Bendo. Bendo, who was always at the right place at the right time, you just caught him, happened to be there and captured.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah.

[Zach Cherry]

Wow.

[Ben Stiller]

You can really.

[Adam Scott]

Bendo rescued you.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, but that actually is the outside of our stage. Like, if you went through that door. That is mdr Right through that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Britt Lauer]

Why don't you talk about.

[Patricia Arquette]

Can I try a babushka? Can I try a babushka?

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, no, the babushka looks. Yeah, it's more like. It's more than a babushka. You got, like, a hat.

[Patricia Arquette]

Oh, yeah.

[Ben Stiller]

You got a hat. Like, something over the hat.

[Patricia Arquette]

Scarf.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah.

[Adam Scott]

This was for Selvig.

[Ben Stiller]

This was ideas for episode 208, when. Oh, yeah. You know, when Cobell kind of drives up and she has been in the car and she's sort of, like, a little bit frazzled and brushing her teeth.

[Patricia Arquette]

Behind all this stuff in the back of my car.

[Ben Stiller]

Right.

[Patricia Arquette]

And I'm cold, you know, I mean.

[Ben Stiller]

Well, you look like you're bundled up pretty well there.

[Patricia Arquette]

I have to rummage through the back of the car.

[Ben Stiller]

All right, well, we've got everybody here, right?

[Adam Scott]

Yeah. It's time for this podcast to get competitive. It's time for the tournament of fripperies, everybody.

[Ben Stiller]

All right, so we're gonna do some musical chairs. I'm gonna move some stuff around because Adam and I are gonna play, and we're gonna do that, and then we're gonna bring out the host of the show.

[John Turturro]

And just I would like everyone to note, Adam and Ben are competing against us. They are the hosts of the podcast. They also both have earpieces in.

[Ben Stiller]

Oh, Zach.

[Britt Lauer]

Thank you, Zach.

[John Turturro]

I'm not sure that it's a bear fight.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah, we'll be right back after this. Hey, it's Adam. I travel a lot with my family, and we stay at Airbnbs all the time. It's great being able to be all together in one house, hanging out and feeling at home while we're away. If you're like me, you travel a lot for work, and your home tends to just sit there empty. But it doesn't have to anymore. Thanks to Airbnb, you can turn that downtime into extra income. If you have a place that's vacant while you're away, why not make it work for you? Hosting on Airbnb lets you welcome travelers while earning some extra cash on the side. So no matter where you are in the world, if you're away from home, Airbnb makes it easy to share your space and make the most of it. So make use of your home while you're not there instead of just letting it sit there empty. Your home might be worth more than you think? Find out how [e-mail] host this show is brought to you by the Farmer's dog. Hey, it's me, Adam. And I'm really excited about this one because we have two dogs and like every family who has a dog or two, we love ours to a borderline crazy degree. But here's the thing. I never really thought about what our dogs eat. I assumed kibble was fine, but I also honestly didn't know anything about it. Turns out kibble is like lumen levels of mysterious. The farmer's dog, however, is a different story. They make fresh food for dogs using real meat and vegetables and every recipe is formulated by their team of board certified vet nutritionists who are literal experts in what dogs should be eating. The farmer's dog also portions the food to your dog's unique needs so you know you're not overfeeding them. Why is that a big deal? Well, here's a fun. Dogs who maintain a healthy weight can live up to two and a half months, years longer. And that's basically the amount of time you had to wait between seasons one and two of our show. That was a long time. Sorry about that. But if I get that much more time with our dogs, I'm in. So yeah, I switched our dogs to the farmer's dog and you can too. Go try the farmer's dog today and get 50% off your first box of fresh healthy food at thefarmersdog.com severance plus you get free shipping right to your door. Just go to thefarmersdog.com severance this offer is for new customers only.

[Ben Stiller]

Now it's time to bring out the host of the game show. He's what's his recent thing? Ghostbusters, Frozen Empire and Manhunt on Apple tv which is what we're on too. And his upcoming audio special is Black Coffee and Ice water coming out November 20th. He's been in a lot of movies. He's a brilliant stand up comedian and hopefully an incredible host. Ladies and gentlemen, Patton Oswald.

[Zach Cherry]

Yeah. Yeah. Bravo. Bravo.

[Ben Stiller]

Unbelievable.

[Zach Cherry]

Oh my goodness.

[Patricia Arquette]

Incredible.

[Zach Cherry]

Thank you so much for letting me host this. I'm Patton Oswalt. You may be know me from other streaming centric game shows like Sopranos, Family Feud and Emily in Jeopardy. But tonight we are playing the Tournament of Fripperies. So welcome all. Thank you for coming out. Here we go. We are gonna test these panelists knowledge of severance and each other. So here's how this is gonna work after I ask a question. Questions you're Gonna write down your answer on the iPad in front of you. When the music ends, your time is up. I will then call on you for your answers. Please show the audience your answer on the iPad and also make sure to say it out loud. That's for the podcast listeners doing laundry at home right now. Okay. This tournament has three very short rounds. We'll be playing the first round as individuals, and then the last two gonna break you guys up into teams. Yes. At the end of the three rounds, however many points you receive as a team will be added to your individual scores. From the beginning. Judge Dan E. Will be keeping score of your points and judging throughout the game. So top row, no, don't peek down at the bottom. Let's all be cool. Let's follow match game etiquette here, all right? Oh, we're not looking.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, we were. We were never going to do that.

[Zach Cherry]

Oh, really? Okay. Nicely done. Good cover. If we catch you doing that, Dan is going to insult you with big words like Mr. Milchick. Isn't that right, Dan?

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah, yeah, you, you feculent thespians.

[Adam Scott]

That's actually a compliment with your ivory pantaloons.

[John Turturro]

Sort of another compliment.

[Zach Cherry]

Yeah, well, that's all I got. That's all I got as far as insulting. All right.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah.

[Zach Cherry]

Whoever has the most points at the end of the tournament wins the greatest perk of all, being a true child of Kier and being crowned the frippery. I'm going to troll the R every time I say frippery, by the way, so get ready. Let's do the frippery. Champion. Are you guys ready to play? Yes.

[Britt Lauer]

Yes.

[Zach Cherry]

Wow.

[Adam Scott]

So we're not teams yet, huh? We're not teams yet. No, no.

[Zach Cherry]

It's all individuals.

[Adam Scott]

Okay.

[Zach Cherry]

You are each your own little sovereign nation.

[John Turturro]

He's still pretending he doesn't know all the answers. Adam's like, we're not teams yet.

[Zach Cherry]

Right.

[John Turturro]

And he's already writing down everything.

[Britt Lauer]

Yeah.

[Zach Cherry]

For our first game, I'm gonna state a fact, and you're going to write down who from your fellow contestants and judge you think it's about. So here's your first fact. This Audi's favorite high school theater role was, quote, sad man on train, unquote. Who is that about.

[Patricia Arquette]

The Audi's favorite.

[Zach Cherry]

What? This Audi's favorite high school theater role. Oh, the role was, quote, sad man on train, unquote. Who is that about?

[Tramell Tillman]

And it's the people that are in this room.

[Zach Cherry]

They're the people. Yes. That are in this room.

[Tramell Tillman]

I just Want to make sure it wasn't other cast.

[Zach Cherry]

Way to phrase that. Like a murder mystery. I love that. One of the people.

[John Turturro]

So it could be someone from the audience?

[Zach Cherry]

Yeah, that.

[Britt Lauer]

Could it be someone from the audience.

[Zach Cherry]

That's for the final round.

[Britt Lauer]

Oh, okay.

[Zach Cherry]

Right now we're just keeping it to the stage.

[Adam Scott]

So how long do we have to.

[Ben Stiller]

Is there like a ding?

[Zach Cherry]

I'm assuming when the music ends, we're done.

[Ben Stiller]

Okay.

[Zach Cherry]

That's the time you have.

[Patricia Arquette]

Is there music? Did I miss it?

[Dan Erickson]

You have to believe to hear the music.

[Zach Cherry]

Okay, here we go. Adam, what was your answer?

[Adam Scott]

John Turturro.

[Zach Cherry]

John Turturro.

[Patricia Arquette]

You wrote it so small.

[Zach Cherry]

Yeah, that is very tiny. Brit, who did you think was sad man on train?

[Patricia Arquette]

Dan.

[Zach Cherry]

Dan. John. Who did you think sad man on train was?

[Britt Lauer]

Zach.

[Zach Cherry]

Zack. Zach. Who did you think sad man on train was?

[John Turturro]

I wrote Zach. Me.

[Zach Cherry]

Oh, hang on. This could be a strategy.

[Adam Scott]

Wait a minute.

[John Turturro]

This could be a strategy.

[Zach Cherry]

Patricia.

[Patricia Arquette]

Irving.

[Zach Cherry]

Oh, Irving. Delightful.

[Ben Stiller]

Ben Irving.

[Zach Cherry]

Are we writing character names or cast names?

[Patricia Arquette]

We don't know.

[Ben Stiller]

I thought it was an outie from the show.

[Zach Cherry]

No, we are already in the ditch on fire. I love it. And Tramel.

[Tramell Tillman]

I said Zach.

[Zach Cherry]

Zach.

[Ben Stiller]

I don't think I understand the game.

[Patricia Arquette]

That was our practice round, so it's.

[John Turturro]

Ben, put the earpiece back in.

[Adam Scott]

It's the people, not the characters.

[Zach Cherry]

It's the people, not the characters.

[Adam Scott]

See, I get the game.

[Zach Cherry]

Okay, well, everyone has given their answer. Kind of.

[Britt Lauer]

Yeah.

[Zach Cherry]

Let's see what the answer was. Zach. Zack. Oh, man. Thank you. Zach played the infamous Zach. Why was that role so important to you?

[John Turturro]

It was a musical and I couldn't sing, so they told me to sit there quietly, and I developed a whole character for myself, and it really was the beginning of my love of acting.

[Zach Cherry]

Wow.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah.

[Zach Cherry]

Were you so into the character that you did a Meisner where you pulled focus from the other actors on stage? Like, of course. You're so deep in your sadness.

[John Turturro]

Yes, 100%.

[Zach Cherry]

That's fantastic.

[John Turturro]

And I would. I told my family to look out for that scene and said, at a certain moment, I will look directly at you during the scene. And then I did do that.

[Zach Cherry]

All right, who.

[Dan Erickson]

Who got it? Raise your hand, cuz I'm supposed to be keeping track. Okay, all right, all right.

[Adam Scott]

Doesn't get a point.

[Dan Erickson]

No, I'm giving it to Zach. I'm giving it to Zach.

[John Turturro]

Get a bonus point, cuz I was the answer, sir.

[Zach Cherry]

Now.

[Ben Stiller]

Now I feel like I understand the game.

[Britt Lauer]

I don't even look at Him.

[Adam Scott]

Ben, I think we need to start cheating.

[Britt Lauer]

I'm on the board. That's all I care.

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah, we got three people on the board.

[Britt Lauer]

I scored. That's it.

[Zach Cherry]

Okay, time for our next panel. As a kid, this Audi wanted to be on the New York Knicks when they grew up.

[Dan Erickson]

It's a. A basketball team.

[Zach Cherry]

Yes. Okay, that is a basketball team. Cool. Wow. Gonna just leave that one alone. Okay, let's quickly go through our contestants. Adam, who do you think it is?

[Adam Scott]

Ben.

[Zach Cherry]

Ben.

[Patricia Arquette]

This is ridiculous.

[Adam Scott]

Can everybody see that?

[Zach Cherry]

Could you write that bigger for the podcast listeners at home?

[Adam Scott]

Yeah.

[Zach Cherry]

My God, it's an eye test all of a sudden. All right, Britt, what was your answer?

[Patricia Arquette]

Cause I'm considerate visually. Ben.

[Zach Cherry]

Ben. Therehere we go. Two for Ben. John Turturro.

[Britt Lauer]

Voted for myself.

[Zach Cherry]

Oh.

[Ben Stiller]

Oh.

[Zach Cherry]

Voted for himself.

[Britt Lauer]

Yes.

[Zach Cherry]

I'm seeing a strategy here, Zach.

[John Turturro]

I wrote Ben, but I also put. Also me.

[Adam Scott]

Zack, you can't vote for yourself every time.

[John Turturro]

Yeah, I did want to be on the New York Knicks.

[Zach Cherry]

All right, Patricia. She wrote John with some amazing penmanship. That is calligraphy, Patricia. I wish the listeners at home could see the artistry that's happening right now. Ben, you put.

[Ben Stiller]

I put John Turturro.

[Zach Cherry]

Mr. John Turturro. And finally, Tramell.

[Tramell Tillman]

I put Ben.

[Zach Cherry]

He put Ben. Okay, well, let's. Let's find out. Let's find out what the answer was.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah.

[Zach Cherry]

Jon has burrow. Jon, do you think that the Knicks would have made it to the championship with you on the team?

[Britt Lauer]

No.

[Zach Cherry]

Okay.

[Britt Lauer]

I could have been the 12th man.

[Zach Cherry]

Really?

[Britt Lauer]

Yeah.

[Zach Cherry]

Would you still have worked with Spike Lee, with him yelling at you from the sidelines? Yeah, sure.

[Britt Lauer]

I was telling him to sit down because he never stopped anyway.

[Zach Cherry]

By the way, John, Britt, Zach, Adam, and Ben have been to Knicks and Liberty games together, and Britt was on her high school basketball team. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Adam Scott]

And you were a good basketball player. Right?

[Patricia Arquette]

Well, do you want to play later and see?

[Ben Stiller]

Sure, I would like to do that.

[Zach Cherry]

We should do that.

[Ben Stiller]

We've never done that.

[Zach Cherry]

Yeah.

[Adam Scott]

I guarantee you're better than I am.

[Britt Lauer]

Me, Ben, you.

[Patricia Arquette]

We could form a team.

Well, Zach wanted to be also, so.

[Zach Cherry]

Why can't he be on the team?

[Dan Erickson]

You don't want me on your team.

[Ben Stiller]

I'm horrible.

[Zach Cherry]

We'll do that game for you. Why?

[Patricia Arquette]

The umpire.

[Zach Cherry]

Oh, great.

[Britt Lauer]

Okay.

[Zach Cherry]

That game will be for the Patreon subscribers later on.

[John Turturro]

You're in the lead.

[Zach Cherry]

Final question of the first round. If this Audi were a door, they would be a screen door. Who is this? If this Audi were a door, they'd be a screen door for the listeners at home. They are all staring at each other. Very Agatha Christie. And then there were none energy going on right now. A lot of weirdness.

[Ben Stiller]

That's a weird question.

[Zach Cherry]

It's a very weird question and a very weird answer.

[John Turturro]

And this one could be someone in the audience or.

[Zach Cherry]

No, no, no. This. No, Zach. No, it's one of you seven. All right, music's done. And here we go. Adam, who do you think it would be?

[Adam Scott]

Brit.

[Zach Cherry]

Brit. All right, Britt, who did you say it would be? Well, look how big he wrote it. Helvetica 64 point.

[Adam Scott]

That's right.

[Zach Cherry]

Get your answer.

[Britt Lauer]

I saw what you wrote. I saw it. Helena.

[Patricia Arquette]

I refused to answer.

[Britt Lauer]

Oh, I can tell you what I saw. It said M E and I am confirming that right now.

[Zach Cherry]

All right, Zach.

[John Turturro]

I also wrote Brit.

[Zach Cherry]

Okay. Patricia.

[Patricia Arquette]

Britt.

[Zach Cherry]

Britt.

[Patricia Arquette]

I think Britt should have answered a circus tent flap.

[Zach Cherry]

If you've seen her movie Circus Person, it is a fantastic short film. You can see it online. It's amazing. Giving you a little shout out, trying to help, a little boost. Giving you the old, the old app, the asseverance podcast boost. Ben, who did you pick?

[Ben Stiller]

I completely didn't understand the question and I still don't understand the game. I just panicked and I just said Adam. I have no reasoning behind it.

[Adam Scott]

Is that a picture of me?

[Ben Stiller]

That was a picture of. Yeah, you smile.

[Adam Scott]

Okay. I like it.

[Patricia Arquette]

Well, I was between those two. Sorry.

[Britt Lauer]

I knew that Tramell was in line.

[Zach Cherry]

And Tramelle, what your answer is?

[Tramell Tillman]

Well, I was Ben's plus one, so I went with Adam.

[Zach Cherry]

Oh, okay. Well, behind this you got five for Brit, two for Adam. Let's see the correct answer. You said Brit.

[Dan Erickson]

You said Brit.

[Zach Cherry]

Okay. You're the correct answer. Yeah. Britt Lauer.

[John Turturro]

John is three for three. John is undefeated by the way.

[Zach Cherry]

I want to read her full answer. She would be a screen door to a screened in porch. So there is some Inception stuff going on. Why that answer?

[Patricia Arquette]

Why not?

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, but when were you asked that?

[Patricia Arquette]

Yesterday. I just also thought there's not gonna be any mosquitoes in there.

[Britt Lauer]

You gotta move.

[Patricia Arquette]

I don't like mosquitoes.

[Zach Cherry]

Well then that's a very practical answer Now. Well, Patricia must really not like mosquitoes. Cause she put sliding glass door that.

[Patricia Arquette]

Tucks away into a hidden pocket.

[Zach Cherry]

Oh, nice. Dan put beaded curtain.

[Patricia Arquette]

Oh, damn, that's good.

[Dan Erickson]

I like mosquitoes. I like them to get in.

[Adam Scott]

Wow.

[Zach Cherry]

Okay. So. Well, Dan, as our scorekeeper how are our contestants doing?

[Dan Erickson]

Okay, so in last place, we have a four way tie between Ben, Tramell, Britt and Adam, each with one. In middle place, we have Patricia and Zach. And then our current reigning champion is Mr. John Turturro with three.

[Zach Cherry]

All right, future New York nick.

[Patricia Arquette]

I actually have zero because I refused to answer that last one.

Oh, that's true.

[Adam Scott]

You're gonna take away sense of honor.

[Zach Cherry]

Yeah. Take away my other last.

[Britt Lauer]

You should have one.

[Patricia Arquette]

No, take it away.

[Ben Stiller]

Okay, okay.

[Dan Erickson]

Okay. Brits in last with zero.

[Adam Scott]

No.

[Zach Cherry]

Congrats, everyone. Especially John. But John, remember, one of Keir's nine core principles is humility.

[Britt Lauer]

Yes.

[Zach Cherry]

So let's not get too confident.

[Britt Lauer]

I'm exhausted, actually.

[Zach Cherry]

Okay. Okay, good. Gonna play the following round in teams. Your team points will be added to your individual points at the end to determine the winner. Here are your teams. Are we ready?

[Patricia Arquette]

Yes.

[Zach Cherry]

Ben, Tramell and Patricia, Team one. There you go. Wonder triplets. Do you have a team name?

[Patricia Arquette]

Wonder triplets. Wonder triplets.

[Tramell Tillman]

Wonder triplets.

[Zach Cherry]

Wonder siblings.

[Ben Stiller]

Wonder triplets. Okay, that's really good.

[Tramell Tillman]

Icebergs.

[Zach Cherry]

Second team is Adam and Britt.

[Ben Stiller]

Wait, can we change to icebergs?

[Patricia Arquette]

Yeah, we want to be icebergs now.

[Zach Cherry]

So the team one is the Icebergs. Do you guys have a name?

[Adam Scott]

We do.

[Patricia Arquette]

We do.

[Zach Cherry]

What is it?

[Adam Scott]

Go ahead, Britt.

[Patricia Arquette]

We're going to lose.

[John Turturro]

Wow. Mind hit eyes.

[Zach Cherry]

How death metal of you.

[Adam Scott]

That's right.

[Zach Cherry]

And finally, the adorable, lovely pair, America Sweethearts, Zach and John. Oh, and do you guys have a team name?

[Britt Lauer]

Yes, we do.

[Zach Cherry]

What is it?

[Britt Lauer]

Z pack.

[Zach Cherry]

Zpac. That's right. You always have them on a set. Have those Z packs ready. Okay.

[Britt Lauer]

Just in case we get sick.

[Zach Cherry]

So now, really good, it is time. For real or Rickon? I'm gonna read passages and you have to decide whether they're from Keir's bestselling author Rickenhale's the you are. Or from an actual best selling author in real life. So here we go. Let's play in this first quote. Is this first quote real or Rickon? Ready? Here's the quote. Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny. Is it real? Is it Rick and Hill? Yeah, I think so too. Yeah. Yeah. All right, time is up. Let's see the team's answers. Let's go first to the icebergs. Icebergs. What did you say? Real or Rickon?

[Ben Stiller]

Oh, real. Real.

[Zach Cherry]

Real.

[Patricia Arquette]

Real.

[Zach Cherry]

Okay. They're saying real. We are going to lose.

[Adam Scott]

Has picked real, not Ricken.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah.

[Zach Cherry]

Okay. And finally, the Z Pack chimes in with real. Real. The answer is. Yep, it is real.

[Ben Stiller]

Real.

[Zach Cherry]

It is real. Next one. So how do we suck poison from our veins when that poison is made of words? Medically, we cannot. Real or. All right, this time, let's start with the Z Pack. What did you put down? Rickon. Yeah. Rickon. Okay, and we're going to lose. Has put down.

[Patricia Arquette]

Rickon.

[Zach Cherry]

Rickon. And finally, the icebergs are saying.

[Ben Stiller]

Rickon.

[Zach Cherry]

Rickon. And let's see who is right. That's Rickon. Oh, that's Rickon. A quote from our very own Rick and Hale. And now it is time for the final round. Is this quote real or Rickon? Get ready. If you behave in a manner pleasing to most, then you are probably doing something wrong. Real or Ricken?

[John Turturro]

Can we get language of origin?

[Patricia Arquette]

We don't know.

[Zach Cherry]

I'm sorry. We do not have that information. Zach. I. Well, the. Are all the answers in?

[John Turturro]

No. We need a second.

[Zach Cherry]

No, let's give them the music one more time.

[Britt Lauer]

Did you do that with an English accent?

[Zach Cherry]

Oh, yes, absolutely. If you behave in a manner pleasing to most, then you are probably doing something wrong.

[Adam Scott]

Oh, well, now we need to change our answer.

[Zach Cherry]

Yeah. Do you need any other accent work?

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah.

[Britt Lauer]

Czechoslovakian.

[Zach Cherry]

All right, well, I'm just saying, pilot season's coming up. That could help me.

[John Turturro]

We're ready.

[Zach Cherry]

All right, here we go. Let's go. First two. We're going to lose.

[Adam Scott]

Real.

[Zach Cherry]

Real. Then let's go to icebergs. Oh, I wish you could see Patricia's handwriting at home. Gorgeous.

[Ben Stiller]

Oh, my God.

[Zach Cherry]

Gorgeous.

[Adam Scott]

How do you have time to do that?

[Zach Cherry]

And finally, the Z packed. Real. Real. Well, let's see the answer. Real. That is now.

[Adam Scott]

And we changed ours because of your accent.

[Zach Cherry]

Now, hang on. There's a bonus point situation about to happen. Okay, first team to raise their hands. And our judges joined it. Zach.

[John Turturro]

First team to raise their hands. Z Pack, one point.

[Zach Cherry]

But no, I mean, you kind of.

[Adam Scott]

Have to give it to them.

[Zach Cherry]

Right. For the bonus point. Who wrote that final real quote? Hands up, anyone. Whoever gets their hands at first and gets it right gets the point.

[Britt Lauer]

Can you give an initial?

[Zach Cherry]

Huh?

[Britt Lauer]

Can you give a first initial if you need to?

[Zach Cherry]

Well, no, you gotta give the name. Who wrote it?

[John Turturro]

Well, if we weren't allowed to say who wrote the previous one for legal reasons, I'm gonna guess it's someone here. I'm gonna say you.

[Zach Cherry]

Patton. No, that is wrong. Anyone else? Yes.

[Ben Stiller]

For your theory, you couldn't say it. That means maybe it's somebody who's, like, dead and public. Like Benjamin Franklin.

[Zach Cherry]

Benjamin Franklin. Weirdly close, but wrong.

[Adam Scott]

Thomas Jefferson.

[Britt Lauer]

Who's the guy?

[Zach Cherry]

Oh, that's right. I'm sorry. That was supposed to be the sound for when you get right it wrong. I I r. Too quickly.

[Adam Scott]

I thought that was Zach.

[Zach Cherry]

The answer is. And this is why that that revolutionary.

[Patricia Arquette]

Can't we get the initials?

[Zach Cherry]

You said, was he in the government? You want. You want the initials?

[Patricia Arquette]

Fast as we can.

[Zach Cherry]

I will give the initials, and then you guys can raise your hands. You ready?

[Patricia Arquette]

Yeah.

[John Turturro]

And was he in the government?

[Zach Cherry]

BS.

[John Turturro]

Ben Stiller.

[Zach Cherry]

It was Ben Stiller. I actually wrote that. What?

[Ben Stiller]

Oh, I feel this book.

[Zach Cherry]

That last quote is from Janine Garoffalo and Ben Stiller's self help book. Feel this book. An essential guide to self empowerment, spiritual supremacy, and sexual satisfaction.

[Ben Stiller]

We wrote that. We wrote that. That. You did write that.

[Zach Cherry]

Wow.

[John Turturro]

Can I ask team Iceberg how they feel about the fact that that was good get you that question.

[Zach Cherry]

Right?

[Ben Stiller]

It's like 25 years ago. We wrote that book.

[Zach Cherry]

Very long time ago.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, I thought.

[Zach Cherry]

I remember Janine Strike.

[Ben Stiller]

I got half right.

[Zach Cherry]

Yeah, you did. You said Ben Benjamin.

[Adam Scott]

I bought that back then.

[Zach Cherry]

Yeah.

[Britt Lauer]

Was in there somewhere.

[Ben Stiller]

You were the one.

[Dan Erickson]

So I'm giving ZPAC a point for that.

[Zach Cherry]

Yes. Yeah.

[John Turturro]

And then the point for raising my hand as well.

[Patricia Arquette]

I support that.

[Zach Cherry]

Wow.

[Adam Scott]

Sure.

[Zach Cherry]

I love it. All right, Dan, how. How are the teams doing? Where are we right now?

[Dan Erickson]

Well, tied for last is we are going to lose. And Iceberg.

[Zach Cherry]

Yeah.

[Adam Scott]

True to the name.

[Zach Cherry]

And then.

[Dan Erickson]

And then way, way out in first is Z Pack.

[Zach Cherry]

Yeah. Four points.

[Adam Scott]

We're never going to hear the end of this from these guys. Don't go anywhere. We've got more tournament of fripperies right after this.

[Ben Stiller]

Adam, if our partner ZipRecruiter was helping Lumen hire for various roles, what kind of keywords would they use?

[Zach Cherry]

Ooh.

[Adam Scott]

Can withstand fluorescent lighting.

[Ben Stiller]

That's good. Enjoys long claustrophobic hallways. Perfect.

[Adam Scott]

Drum major.

[Ben Stiller]

Goat lover.

[Adam Scott]

I know for a fact that Lumen would love to search resumes quickly with.

[Ben Stiller]

Those particular keywords and that they can talk to qualified refiners the very next day, which is especially helpful if suddenly a refiner goes missing.

[Adam Scott]

So if you're a business owner who needs to hire, ZipRecruiter has all these tools and features and more, and they're designed to make hiring faster and easier. I mean, that sounds great.

[Ben Stiller]

I'm telling you. See for yourself. When you try ZipRecruiter for free at ZipRecruiter.com severance, something incredible happens. Oh yeah.

[Adam Scott]

ZipRecruiter excels at speed. Its smart technology starts showing your job to qualified candidates right away.

[Ben Stiller]

So see how much faster and easier hiring can be with ZipRecruiter. Four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day.

[Adam Scott]

The first day? Yeah, the first day.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah.

[Zach Cherry]

I know.

[Ben Stiller]

It's insane.

[Adam Scott]

Just go to ZipRecruiter.com severance right now to try it for free.

[Ben Stiller]

That's ZipRecruiter.com S E V E R A N C E. Oh, that's how you spell severance.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah. I've been telling you for five years now.

[Zach Cherry]

What does possibility mean to you? That's a hard question. Something that you can strive for.

[Patricia Arquette]

I'm able to do anything I set my mind to.

[Zach Cherry]

You're confident in yourself and you believe in yourself. Stuff that you could achieve.

[Patricia Arquette]

I feel excited. Anything is possible when you're more confident.

[Zach Cherry]

Shoes are a huge part of that.

[John Turturro]

They are the most important part of my style.

[Zach Cherry]

You can like express yourself in the right shoes.

[Patricia Arquette]

Anything is possible.

[Commercial Announcer]

Dsw Countless shoes at bragworthy prices.

[Adam Scott]

Imagine the possibilities.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Zach Cherry]

This next round of the Chairman of Fripperies in honor of all the big words, Eustace Expounding polysyllabically. I'm going to give you a word, and your team needs to give your best definition. Judge Dan will decide which of your definitions is the most correct. Dan, how fair or how much leeway will you give them?

[Dan Erickson]

I mean, they have all paid me differing amounts of money backstage.

[Ben Stiller]

Oh.

[Dan Erickson]

And it's going to be a factor.

[Zach Cherry]

All right, well, with that spirit of corruption moving forward, here's our first question. In season one, Jame Egan calls Helena a fetid muppet. What does fetid mean? Fetid.

[Adam Scott]

Like it's a bad thing.

[Zach Cherry]

All right.

[Ben Stiller]

Oh, I lost my ability to write.

[Zach Cherry]

Okay. Yeah, I have no idea. Yeah. What did you think fetid means?

[Tramell Tillman]

We said rotten.

[Zach Cherry]

Rotten, Slash spoiled, rotten and soiled. Okay. Spoiled. Oh, my God.

[Ben Stiller]

Look at.

[Zach Cherry]

Not soiled. Spoiled. Spoiled. Spoiled, rotten and spoiled. Okay. Rotten. Splash.

[Adam Scott]

Excuse me, are you reading our thing?

[Ben Stiller]

No. No, no.

[Zach Cherry]

Okay, well, we're going to lose. What did you write?

[Adam Scott]

Something spoiled and rotten. Like an old banana.

[Ben Stiller]

Yeah. Oh, wow.

[Zach Cherry]

Wow. And finally, cpac.

[Britt Lauer]

Well, we have a discrepancy here. We did not like how you pronounced fetid. It was a little confusing.

[John Turturro]

We wrote a brainwashed mouthpiece, like had been fetid chosen. Brainwashed.

[Britt Lauer]

We thought it was F, E, T.

[Ben Stiller]

T, E, D, D. That's still brainwashed mouthpiece.

[Zach Cherry]

Is that wrong or fetid?

[John Turturro]

We just needed the British pronunciation.

[Zach Cherry]

We needed.

[Adam Scott]

Oh, my God.

[Britt Lauer]

Training, training, training.

[Zach Cherry]

That's all.

[Adam Scott]

These guys are so cocky. They're winning, Dan.

[Zach Cherry]

Did anyone get that right?

[Dan Erickson]

Well, so the actual definition of fetid is smelling extremely unpleasant. And, I mean, of those two, I mean, you guys both had it pretty close, but I liked your use of an example, and I really liked the $500 that Britt gave me.

[Zach Cherry]

Oh, nice.

[Dan Erickson]

So I am going to go with. We're going to lose.

[Zach Cherry]

Yes. Wow. There you go.

[John Turturro]

Dan, did you consider how bad a brainwashed mouthpiece would smell when you gave out those points?

[Zach Cherry]

Smell really bad.

[Britt Lauer]

You want to sit next to him?

[Ben Stiller]

What is a brainwashed mouthpiece?

[John Turturro]

Well, Ben, I'm glad you asked.

[Britt Lauer]

We're challenging that.

[Zach Cherry]

Okay. I'm glad that Z Pack is turning.

[John Turturro]

This into Model UN we're on the set for it.

[Zach Cherry]

For our final round of expounding polysyllabically, we're going to learn from Mr. Milchick's performance review and begin simplifying our language. We've got to simplify that language. Tell us in your own words, what is the simplest way to say the following phrase? Felicitations. Commemorating the occurrence of one's emergence into corporate real. I do my abs to this song.

[Patricia Arquette]

Yeah. Copycatters.

[Adam Scott]

We're looking at it.

[Patricia Arquette]

I thought Adam was cheating, too.

[Zach Cherry]

Oh, my God. Okay, well, we're. Now that the music's done, the time is up. Let's start with the Z pack.

[Britt Lauer]

Happy birthday.

[Zach Cherry]

Happy birthday. All right. And Icebergs, what did you guys come up with?

[Ben Stiller]

Happy birthday.

[Zach Cherry]

Happy birthday.

[Tramell Tillman]

But Stevie Wonder style.

[Zach Cherry]

Oh, smart. That's gonna save us some money. And finally, we're going to lose.

[Patricia Arquette]

Happy birthday.

[Zach Cherry]

Oh, my goodness. Dan, what was the simplest way to say that phrase?

[Dan Erickson]

The answer is happy birthday.

[Zach Cherry]

That's right. Happy birthday. How are you going to score this one?

[Dan Erickson]

Well, I mean, they all technically got it, right?

[Zach Cherry]

Yep.

[Dan Erickson]

Patricia, have you been drawing eyeballs back there? Cause I like that.

[Zach Cherry]

Thank you.

[Ben Stiller]

I did a little cake.

[Dan Erickson]

You did a little cake?

[Tramell Tillman]

I said Stevie Wonder.

[Dan Erickson]

All right. I was gonna give it to Iceberg, but they're kind of thirsty right now.

[Adam Scott]

That's not fair.

[Ben Stiller]

Oh, my God.

[Dan Erickson]

I'm still gonna give it to iceberg.

[Zach Cherry]

Iceberg. Get challenged. All right, well, Dan, what do. What are the team scores right now?

[Dan Erickson]

The teams are currently all tied at first and last place with four.

[John Turturro]

Wow.

[Zach Cherry]

Is it a tie?

[Dan Erickson]

Yeah.

[Zach Cherry]

Well, you know what?

[Dan Erickson]

Right.

[Zach Cherry]

Funny you should mention that, because we have a tiebreaker round ready just in case that happens. So here for the tiebreaker round, Two Egans and a lie. It all comes down to this. It's our final game, and it's our truest test. Let's play two EGANs and a lie. One multiple choice question lies between you and the crown. Are you guys all ready? Yes. Okay. Really, really focus on this. According to Kier's fourth appendix, which body part of Dieter Egan's did not change at Woe's Hollow? Was it A, his mouth which disappeared, leaving him no choice but to listen as he spilt his lineage upon the soil? B, his hair, which turned into moss that tore easily from his bleeding scalp, Or C, his eye, which popped from its socket, driven by a sudden torrent of pus from his skull.

[Adam Scott]

But wait, the question is, which did not change?

[Zach Cherry]

Which did not change? His mouth disappeared, his hair turned into moss, or his eye popped out of his skull? One of those things didn't happen. One of those things didn't that. Okay, time is up. Let's go. First to. We're going to lose. You picked mouth.

[Ben Stiller]

I feel like you were listening. They were. They overheard us. Did you guys.

[Zach Cherry]

No.

[Ben Stiller]

Did you?

[Zach Cherry]

Over.

[Britt Lauer]

I didn't know over here.

[Zach Cherry]

Anything.

[Adam Scott]

So paranoid.

[Zach Cherry]

All right, now let's go to the icebergs.

[Adam Scott]

Jesus.

[Ben Stiller]

A mouth.

[Zach Cherry]

A mouth. And finally, the cpap.

[Patricia Arquette]

You can't even hear each other.

[Zach Cherry]

Wait, wait.

[John Turturro]

I was under the impression that we had agreed.

[Zach Cherry]

Did I pronounce mouth incorrectly? What happened?

[John Turturro]

Okay, what I wrote was hair and dumas, and I also added the word stinky. But John. John thinks that we had agreed on mouth. So I. I don't even know how to.

[Zach Cherry]

I don't know.

[Adam Scott]

Just so you know, mouth is the same in American or British dialect.

[Zach Cherry]

Yeah. Dan, what's the correct answer?

[Dan Erickson]

The correct answer is a mouth.

[Zach Cherry]

The rap. The answer was a. Dieter Egan's mouth did not disappoint. So who is our winner?

[Dan Erickson]

So did you guys draw a picture on yours?

[Patricia Arquette]

Yeah.

[Adam Scott]

Yeah.

[Dan Erickson]

Is it still there?

[Adam Scott]

Can I see it?

[Zach Cherry]

No.

[Patricia Arquette]

Yep.

[Dan Erickson]

No, you didn't.

[Zach Cherry]

No, we did.

[Dan Erickson]

Iceberg did do a picture, and it's really nice. And they also agreed between them.

[Zach Cherry]

Oh, yeah.

[Dan Erickson]

So I'm going to a award. The game winning point to iceberg.

[Zach Cherry]

Oh, my God. What an exciting game. Team Iceberg, you are true children of Kier and the champions.

[Britt Lauer]

We don't accept that. We don't accept that decision.

[Zach Cherry]

We're going to lose in zpac. I'm so. Thank you for playing. I'm so sorry. Okay, thank you. Thank you guys so much. Thanks, Patton Oswald.

[Adam Scott]

Thank you, Pat.

[Zach Cherry]

Thank you, Pat.

[John Turturro]

We'll get him next.

[Zach Cherry]

Thank you guys for letting me do this so much. Thank you.

[Britt Lauer]

CPAC will be back.

[Adam Scott]

Thank you.

[Zach Cherry]

Yay. Thank you.

[Ben Stiller]

All right, that's it.

[Zach Cherry]

I think that's it.

[Ben Stiller]

Patton. Thank you. We have to thank everybody and our contestants and our guests here, Zach, John.

[Adam Scott]

Britt, Brumel, Patricia, and our judge, Dan Erickson.

[Ben Stiller]

Yes.

[Zach Cherry]

Yay.

[Adam Scott]

And to Randy George for performing our theme song on Theremin. Thank you, Randy.

[Ben Stiller]

And for Teddy Shapiro, who's here for writing the theme song.

[Adam Scott]

And thank you to Neue House for letting us use this incredible space. Thank you so much.

[Ben Stiller]

Yes. And thanks to Bari Finkel and everybody who made this possible, who produced this live podcast for us.

[Adam Scott]

This was really for the episode. That's it. Severance podcast with Ben and Adam will be back again next week.

[Ben Stiller]

Yes. And you can stream every episode of Severance on Apple TV and follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts. I'm Ben Stiller.

[Adam Scott]

And I'm Adam Scott.

[Ben Stiller]

Thank you for listening and thanks for coming.

[Zach Cherry]

Thanks for coming.

[Adam Scott]

Thank you for coming, everybody.

[John Turturro]

You know what I said, Mom.

[Adam Scott]

Hey, it's Adam again. If you want to see any of the Bendo photos we were talking about, or Patricia's work of art answers or the theremin performance of the Severance theme song. Apple will be posting a video of Today's episode on YouTube. Make sure to check it out. Oh, and John Turturro, if you're listening, Patton originally said that the team scores would be added to to the individual scores at the end of the tournament to determine the winner. After carefully reviewing the footage, it is clear that you were indeed the frippery champion. Felicitations on this utmost honor. The Severance Podcast with Ben Stiller and Adam Scott is a presentation of Odyssey Red Hour Productions and Great Scott.

[Ben Stiller]

If you like the show, be sure to rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your other podcast platform form of choice. It really makes a difference.

[Adam Scott]

If you've got a question about Severance, call our hotline [phone]. We just might play your voicemail and answer your question on the podcast.

[Ben Stiller]

Our executive producers are Bari Finkel, Gabrielle Lewis, Naomi Scott and Leah Rhys Dennis. This show is produced by Ben Goldberg.

[Adam Scott]

It was mixed and mastered by Hannis Brown. Show clips are courtesy of fifth season music by Theodore Shapiro. Special thanks to the team at Odyssey Maura Curran, Eric Donnelly, Michael Lavey, Melissa Wester, Kate Rose, Curt Courtney and Hilary.

[Ben Stiller]

Shuff and the team at Red John Lesher, Carolina Pesikov, Gian Pablo, Antonetti, Ashwin Ramesh, Maria Noto, John Baker and Sam.

[Adam Scott]

Lyon Annette Great Scott, Kevin Cotter, Josh Martin, Martin and Christy Smith at Rise Management. And a special thank you to everyone we worked with at Apple 1983 Creative and Galaxy Heights Entertainment. Our little podcast team couldn't have pulled off this live show and video episode without you.