PG’s Playhouse: Puzzles, games, trivia, & general nerdery

Answer our 2026 Audience Census!   "A holiday of debatable quality." It's chonky, furry, and oh so cute! The creature slowly creeps out of its burrow, looking around for his shadow. Good news! It doesn't see it. The weather will be hot for the forseeable future. Bad news... well, we're also surrounded by fire and brimstone. Welcome to Groundhog Day in Hell. Chris Demarais and Blaine Gibson, co-hosts of the hilarious Good Morning from Hell podcast join us for some devilishly fun puzzles.  Good Morning from Hell is a weekly podcast starring Blaine as Clayton, the younger brother of Satan, and Chris as himself. Every week, Chris and Clayton interview someone from Hell. This show is off-the-rails funny. Today's topic is Groundhog Day, and we explore the origins and bizarre story behind this annual weather predicting tradition. Today's game is called Cloudy with a Chance of Puzzles, where the guests must figure out these weather related idioms. If you want to check out Chris and Blaine's podcasts, look for Good Morning from Hell or their actual play D&D podcast Tales from the Stinky Dragon.   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

Answer our 2026 Audience Census! "Worth its weight in salt" Salt is a mineral so essential that civilizations literally sprung up around salt and built trade routes to secure it. It's been used as currency, to preserve foods, and in all manner of industrial manufacturing. It's also used to make our food taste better. You know what else makes food taste better? Puzzles! Our guest is Survivor Season 47 Winner Rachel LaMont. She knows a thing or two about food and puzzles, having combined them in her new game Puzzle Hungry: Umami Rush! It's a 2–4 player Japanese food-themed speed puzzling party game with points, cards, double-sided puzzles, and sabotage elements like “health code violations,” plus interactive callouts. Today's game is called Stay Salty, where I've "seasoned" a word by adding a letter to the beginning of a word to make a new, "edible" word. Each answer will be something edible. You can pre-order Puzzle Hungry now for a taste of competitive puzzling.   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

Answer our 2026 Audience Census! The wine apocalypse that almost happened. Imagine no more wine bars, no more popping champagne to celebrate special occasions, and no more enjoying a glass of cabernet with your steak. In the 19th century, a tiny little aphid nearly wiped wine off the map, decimating centuries-old vineyards globally. Eventually, wine growers figured out how to combat the phylloxera menace. David shares the story of phylloxera in this episode of PG's Playhouse. Joining us are special guests Garrett and Sabrina, hosts of the I Know Dino podcast. They share some fun facts about dinosaurs, including mummified fossils that include skin and feathers and also dinosaur cannibalism. Our game today is "Sour Grapes of Wrath" where I've created before and after mashups of two phrases. The players must guess the middle word that links the phrases.   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

Answer our 2026 Audience Census!   Author A.J. Jacobs is no stranger to gonzo journalism. He often puts himself directly into the story he's writing, whether it's about taking the Bible literally, or living out the Constitution. Much like gonzo journalism, there's no attempt or pretense about remaining objective. In A.J.'s writing, he describes in hilarious detail how his lifestyle experiments have impacted his family and work life. David talks about the origins of gonzo journalism, and we discuss how it differs from A.J.'s own writing style. A.J. also shares some insights he learned from his latest book, A Year of Living Constitutionally. Today's game is called This Game is LIT...erature. Players are given the names of chapters, and must figure out the subject of the book. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our interviews with A.J. about his book The Puzzler on S3E11 of Reality Escape Pod and our interview about his puzzling podcast Hello Puzzler on S6E13 of REPOD.   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

Answer our 2026 Audience Census! "This game is all about movies with titles that sound dirty but aren't." David goes to Spanktown every day. You might ask Why, or wonder if he's ever going to Hell. It all does feel a bit Peculiar and Boring. No, we haven't suddenly gone off the deep end, but rather, we're exploring some quirky and unusual town names. Zach Sherwin is the creator of The Crossword Show, and a veteran of the iconic YouTube channel Epic Rap Battles of History. He joins us today to talk about his show and tackle some puzzles. Today's game is called Down and Dirty, where every answer is a movie with a title that sounds dirty, but isn't. If you want to learn more about Zach Sherwin and The Crossword Show, check out our interview with him on Reality Escape Pod S10E10. He'll also be performing live at the Reality Escape Convention this August 2026.   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

Watching Rachel LaMont absolutely dominate the puzzles was one of the highlights of Survivor S47. She eventually won after spending most of her time as an underdog. One of her most iconic moments was when a starving Rachel decided to pocket some of the rice from a Survivor challenge, and Jeff Probst called her out on it. She tells us how it all went down, and she shares an interesting behind the scenes moment. After winning Survivor, Rachel combined her graphic design skills with her puzzling prowess to create Puzzle Hungry, a competitive jigsaw puzzle game. This inspired today's topic, Conveyor Belt Sushi. Our game today is Movie Mash Potatoes, where each answer is a mashup of foods and movie or song titles.   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

Today's topic is a bit cheesy, but still divine. Throughout the ages, humans have always tried to foretell the future or discern the nature of being through different types of divination. These have included the more well-known types of fortune telling including tarot cards, palm reading, tea leaf reading and more. Today, we're talking tyromancy – divination by reading cheeses. Warhammer historian and YouTuber Jordan Sorcery joins us again. We chat about his podcast, In Conversation with Jordan Sorcery, which features interviews and chats with designers, writers, and artists creating Warhammer content. He also tells us about his newest podcast, Warhammer Film Club, which explores connections between classic cinema and Warhammer. Today's game is called Getting Shredded, where the players must solve clues ranging from riddles and jokes to cryptic crosswords to figure out the type of cheese. Later, we have a bonus game where they must guess the type of divination from the name.   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

"A very twist ending. I don't think we were expecting it to go quite that way." The scent of cedar and cloves drift through the air, and all around the lights are twinkling. Boughs of holly and mistletoe decorate the rafters, and you've gathered friends and loved ones to celebrate. It's our first REPOD and PG's Playhouse crossover Holiday Special! To celebrate, we've invited our Podcast Producer, Theresa Piazza, and Room Escape Artist Contributor, Andrew Reynolds to join us for games, trivia, and merriment. Today's game is "It's Not Elf on the Shelf", inspired by an actual toy Snoop on the Stoop. Each answer is a celebrity paired with a rhyming location in the house. We all share some recommendations for games, puzzles, and shows that we've been enjoying. Then David takes us down the rabbit hole of mistletoe trivia, which has sexier origins than any of us imagined. I hope you enjoyed this fun PG's Playhouse-style episode! We're grateful for all of our loyal listeners, and we're thrilled that you've stuck with us for so long. Happy holidays, everyone!   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

Much like the dinosaurs, what we know about them is still evolving on a yearly, if not monthly basis. Did you know that we're discovering new dinosaurs practically every week? Garret and Sabrina of the popular I Know Dino podcast join us to talk about these fascinating creatures. Their podcast is knowledgeable, fun, and easy to follow. We also talk about how birds evolved from dinosaurs, opalized fossils found in Australia, and The Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil show, where you can find opalized fossils and other interesting items for sale. If you want to see more images of Peih-Gee's jewelry, you can check out her Instagram @loradorjewelry. Today's game is called Animal Style where the players must figure out the animal that's hidden inside words and sentences. If you want to learn more about dinosaurs, make sure to check out I Know Dino!   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

" Apparently Kiki and Bouba is one of the few things that can pull us all together." If I showed you a sharp spikey object and a round blobby object and told you that one was named Kiki, and the other named was Bouba, which name would you assign to which object? In today's episode, we explore the linguistic phenomenon of "Kiki and Bouba." Almost universally, across many different cultures and languages, most people will associate these sounds to visual shapes the same way. Joining us today is seasoned improver and podcaster Adal Rifai, known for his podcasts Hey Riddle Riddle  and Gumshoes & Dragons that's a bit like an investigative murder mystery in a D&D fantasy setting. Today's game is called Common Grounds, where players are given 4 phrases and must find the common word that connects them all.   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

"In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war." In a dark, grim world, forty thousand years in the future, goblins, ghouls, and elves are battling for supremacy. Their armor is polished, their muscles are bulging, and the paint is almost dry. This is the massive world of Warhammer. In episode 30, Jordan Sorcery joins us to dive down the rabbit hole of Warhammer's rich history. Jordan is a Warhammer historian, and he gives us a light overview of the game, both as a business and as The Hobby. It's a strategic war game played with miniatures, with a vast world of lore and story. He tells us about the concept of "grimdark," which is an aesthetic tone of a gritty, hopeless dystopia, inspired by the tagline of Warhammer 40K: "In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war." We also talk about the gameplay of Warhammer and some ways to get started in this hobby. If you want to learn more about Warhammer, check out Jordan's website www.jordansorcery.com or his YouTube Channel Jordan Sorcery, which covers not only Warhammer, but other tabletop games as well. Today's game is called What a Tool, where players must guess the idiom that contains a type of tool or hardware. In level two, the idiom has undergone a transformation, and the players must figure out the new phrase.   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

" Your memories can't be trusted." Everyone remembers that 90s movie called Shazam starring Sinbad as a genie, right? Was it Berenstein Bears or Berenstain Bears? Did Mandela die in prison, or is that just a glitch in our collective brain? In today's episode, we explore the Mandela Effect, a phenomenon where a large group of people collectively misremember an event or detail, often about pop culture, logos, or historical events. Tony Piluso from the Hack the Movies YouTube channel joins us again for a dive down some shared memories that definitely never happened. Today's game is called False Memory, where movies about memories have had their titles altered with a word that rhymes... or was that always the title?   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

"I love it. It's so bad." At a glance, it's glove at first sight. But gamers in the 80s and 90s soon threw up their hands in disgust while trying to get The Power Glove to power anything besides their rage. Prolific podcaster Adal Rifai joins us to explore The Power Glove and play some games. Adal is certainly no stranger when it comes to puzzling podcasts. His podcast Hey Riddle Riddle features a trio of improvisers solving riddles and lateral puzzles. Adal has recently launched a new show called Gumshoes & Dragons that's a bit like Colombo meets D&D. Today's game is called Power Glove Box, where every answer will be a video game term mashed up with another common word or phrase.   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

"It's the bee's knees!" Today's topic is un-bee-lievable! Join us as we dive down the hive and explore the wonderful world of bees! David shares some fascinating facts about bees, their societal structures, and common myths, including their role in allergies. Jamie Gibbs of The Infinite Escape Room podcast joins us all the way from Wales to play along. We also have a great chat about their new podcast series focusing on controversial topics in puzzle design. Today's game is called A World Without Bees, where I've taken famous phrases containing either the word "be" or "bee" and replaced it with a word that rhymes. It felt right to talk about bees, because the last time that Jamie hosted David and me on his podcast, he locked us up in a giant Wickerman filled with bees. Listen to our episode, The Wicker Plan, and make sure to check out all the other episodes of the wonderful audio escape room podcast The Infinite Escape Room.   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

Movie theaters were already going for full immersion in the 1970's with Sensurround. David breaks down this little known movie technology, which delivered an earth-shaking intensity to movies (literally). Tony Piluso from the Hack the Movies YouTube channel joins us for a dive into obsolete film tech. He also shares film lore about work prints and the crazy scenes that would get cut from movies aired on television and airplanes. Today's game is called "What Did They Say?" where the players take turns reading nonsense words, and the other must guess the movie title. Check the time stamps below to see the written clues and play along. If you're close to Croyden, PA, Tony will be appearing at the Found Footage Fest Sept. 27-28, 2025. Also, check out the Hack the Movies YouTube channel.   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

The only thing better than an escape room is having infinite escape rooms! The Infinite Escape Room is a comedy podcast where a bunch of friends write escape rooms for each other to play while chatting over a cold one. Infinite Escape Room co-host Jamie Gibbs joins us as as we all collectively get our minds blown by the inconceivable concept of infinity. David guides us down this rabbit hole while we ponder questions like, what's larger? Infinity, or Infinity plus one? Today's game is called To Infinity and Beyond and Then Back Again, where our players must form a chain of words that wraps back around and reconnects at the top.   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

The reality show Survivor loves to open with a splash—literally. The most famous opening episodes start by having contestants jumping off a ship while trying to grab anything useful they'll need to survive the next month stranded in a deserted locale. Survivor calls this a "marooning," but in today's episode of PG's Playhouse, David tells us about real life maroonings and what the term originally meant. David delves into the historical context and a specific case of marooning involving the pirate Edward England. All Star Survivor contestant, author, and blogger Stephen Fishbach joins us again. He tells us about his new novel Escape! which features a has-been reality TV star and a disgraced producer who gets one last shot at redemption on a show set on a remote island. We also talk about his YouTube series where Survivor contestants play Blood on the Clocktower. Our game today is "Blood on the Television" where Stephen must guess which Blood on the Clocktower character is on which reality TV show. Make sure to check out Stephen's new novel, Escape!, coming out this January. YouTube: Survivors Play Blood on the Clocktower   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

You're starving, sweaty, exhausted, and your best friend on the island just stabbed you in the back. Ahead, a giant obstacle course awaits, with a complex puzzle afterwards. And you've got to juggle all this while outmaneuvering a bunch of other contestants all hungry for the win. With over 49 seasons, Survivor is one of reality television's longest running shows. Steven Fishbach, runner-up on Survivor Tocantins and all-star returnee on Survivor Second Chance joins us to talk about his experiences on Survivor, co-hosting the Survivor Know-It-Alls podcast, and his upcoming book, Escape! We share insights into the evolution of Survivor, emphasizing how strategy, player dynamics, and game mechanics have transformed over the years. We also discuss some common misconceptions about Survivor. Today's game is called "The Tribe Has Spoken," where the group collaborates to vote out the word that doesn't belong. Make sure to check out Stephen's new novel, Escape!, coming out this January.   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

Have you ever cooked with molasses? It's so gooey and sticky that it can literally pull the fillings out of your teeth if you're not careful. Now imagine a 15-foot wave of molasses coming towards you at a glacial but inevitable pace. Today, we're diving into one of the stickiest disasters in American history, The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 in Boston, MA. Special guest Emily Jillette joins us again for more puzzles and trivia. We chat about some of our favorite Broadway shows including Operation Mincemeat and Hamilton. Today's game is A Sticky Situation where a food item and a phrase have been stuck together so they'll share a common word. And there's a bonus lateral thinking puzzle about another real-life food disaster.   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

Long before uranium became synonymous with weapons of mass destruction, it was mostly serving as a decorative function. Glassblowers and glass factories would add a tiny bit of uranium to their glass, which gave it that distinctive yellowish green color. It also created a fluorescent effect under blacklight. David explores the history and back ground of this collector's item. Emily Jillette, noted puzzler, escape room enthusiast, and wife of famous magician Penn Jillette joins us today. She shares some insights on the appeal of puzzles, especially to those who practice the stagecraft of magic. Today's game is With or Without U, where the players must add a "U" to a word to make a new word.   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner