TGI – Episode 419 “Quiz Show”

Hope you all studied because this week the gang is diving head first into “Quiz Show” - an episode packed with printing press facts and sweet Artie K.’s leather jacket.
 
It’s the source of a legendary Feeny speech, even if Will thinks Shawn should’ve gotten a different question and the writers MAY have been poking at Jenny McCarthy for avoiding a guest appearance.
 
And yes, this is the infamous Phil Leeds broccoli episode - so do what you will with that information. It’s style vs. substance on a brand new Pod Meets World!!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:18):
All right, So I found this video like ten years ago.
It's almost ten years old, and I fell in love
with it completely forgot it existed, which is amazing considering
how much we've talked about the nineties and the Kushlin's commercial.
Have you guys ever seen every nineties commercial ever made?

Speaker 2 (00:35):
No?

Speaker 1 (00:36):
No, okay, So it starts off like every nineties commercial.
Every kids sitting around all like boared. Actually they're playing
D and D. I think it's like they're stucking board
games and life sucks and they're all wearing backwards hats
and there's noises like and then the one kid is like, guys,
guess what I just found out with his cordless phone,

(00:56):
and he's like Downtown Darius Jackson is playing football, and
they're all like, yeah, let's go play football. Then they
run and you hear like their little feet running, and
then their mom stops them down.

Speaker 2 (01:06):
You're not going anywhere with the music.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
Kid slam and she pulls out basically a rip off
Caprice Son. Then the kids are all like, yeah, mom,
they quid slam. They all put put their straws in
and they drink it and then turn into liquid metal.
From two in the worst nineties special effects ever. They
melt into these puddles and then they fly through the

(01:30):
neighborhood as these giant metal puddles. They arrive and there's
Downtown Darius Jackson, this fake NFL player. It's fake, he's
not a real NFL player.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
What you know that?

Speaker 1 (01:41):
Yeah, yeah, And and so they're like the puddle appears,
and all the other kids playing football are like, yeah,
now we have a full team. But then when the
puddle reforms, the kids have merged together into a horrific
beast monster straight out of the Thing or Cronenberg film.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
It's also like burnt and melted.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
It's like the transportation didn't work. And then it attacks
one of the kids. It starts vomiting acid on him.
It burns his face. You can see the uncensored version.
They actually have his face like melting. It's so and
so the whole the whole commercial just becomes them freaking out.
And then Darius Downtown Darius Jackson pulls out a flamethrower
and then it cuts to them like after aftermath. One

(02:22):
of the kids is dead. The just empty chair with
a baseball bat or baseball hat sitting on there. The
Donner chair, and then the mom shows up and it's like,
but when now we can have pig skin play time
or whatever the news and then they're all like yeah, mom,
and then they're eating that, and then the creature reappears,
having put its hand through the mom's chest and they're

(02:43):
all like screaming again. It is so it's basically a
nineties commercial into a straight up eighties horror film like
creature feature, and it is so absurd, and the tonal
shifts just kill me.

Speaker 3 (02:55):
It's like everything I love.

Speaker 4 (02:57):
Everything reminds me you you do love this because you
also sent us an snl skit recently that.

Speaker 1 (03:03):
I actually said that who sent that out? Somebody else
sent that?

Speaker 3 (03:06):
You sent that to me? Which which? Wait? Which society?

Speaker 1 (03:14):
My favorite thing when something is like fully investing in
one tone and then just flips on a dime. And
it's also it's the mastery of like the control of
this director to be able to do this, like you know,
the sound.

Speaker 3 (03:27):
Design and the shifts.

Speaker 4 (03:28):
It sounds great because it really makes you realize how
much sound changes everything, like you just it literally dictates
exactly how you feel at all times. I know for
sure when I'm watching something and I go I would
not be crying right now if it weren't for this music.
Every now and then I can feel it where I'm like,
I'm not that emotionally invested.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
It's the music.

Speaker 3 (03:52):
Corey into Panga Montage music always gets me.

Speaker 1 (03:56):
But also just sound designed like weird sounds like you've
watched The Shining so many times You're like, I don't
know why I'm so unnerved right now, And it's because
Cooper Chris this weird like sound into the background of
scenes where nothing else as bad as happening, but you
just feel this dread.

Speaker 3 (04:11):
You're like, what, yeah, well done it, done it from jobs.
That's all you need, those two notes, And you're like, oh, yeah,
this is why commercials and stuff like these parodies like
this or whatever just don't work on me, or work
in a very strange way. Do you remember Super Size
Me where the guy just eats McDonald's and it essentially
kills him over a month the film ended and I

(04:31):
drove to McDonald's. Oh that's all I wanted liquids. I
just want a Caprice Son, That's all I want.

Speaker 5 (04:37):
Now.

Speaker 3 (04:38):
That's all that commercial did is make me go like, man,
I'd love a Caprice Son right now.

Speaker 4 (04:42):
I told you guys that with all the news about
how bad skittles were for you, I was like, it's
been years since I've had skittles.

Speaker 3 (04:50):
I'm gonna go.

Speaker 2 (04:51):
Buy some and now I and I had not eaten
a skittle in years. Yeah, seeing it in the news
about how bad it.

Speaker 3 (05:00):
What for you?

Speaker 1 (05:00):
Up the same thing, up voting for certain people because they're.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Right there, because you've seen the lawn sign.

Speaker 1 (05:10):
Just absorb, Yes, you just absorb whatever's around you. Supercise,
more sophisticated than we actually are.

Speaker 3 (05:16):
He ate a double quarter pounder and threw up, and
I was like, I can eat two of those, not
a problem.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
You were like, I'm better than you and straight supercise. Yeah,
you think the wrong guy.

Speaker 3 (05:29):
This is not the person. So caris later.

Speaker 2 (05:33):
Yeah, I can't wait. I'm there, pizza pockets. Yes, welcome
to Pod meets World.

Speaker 4 (05:37):
I'm Daniel Fishl, I'm rather strong, and I'm Will Fordell.
So welcome to this episode recap. We are doing season four,
episode nineteen quiz Show. It originally aired March twenty first,

(06:00):
nineteen ninety seven, and this episode is titled after a
movie produced by Michael Jacobs and Jeff McCracken, and it
was released in September of nineteen ninety four. The movie
is about a real life scandal where a popular televised
quiz show cheated in order for a more telegenic contestant
to become their new champion.

Speaker 3 (06:19):
And you have not saen this movie. Take an evening
and watch it.

Speaker 1 (06:25):
Yeah, no, it's.

Speaker 3 (06:25):
Absolutely, absolutely one of the best movies ever ever made.
It's amazing.

Speaker 4 (06:30):
Yeah, I love it. I saw it in theaters. It
was directed by Jeff McCracken. It was written by Steve
and Hibbert. That's our show show, not in the movie.
The show We're doing was directed by Jeff McCracken and
written by Stephen Hibbert. And before I jump into guest stars,
do you guys want to say your overall thoughts?

Speaker 2 (06:47):
Did you remember any of this? Barely?

Speaker 1 (06:50):
This is one of those that people have come to
our shows in costume and had to be told, like,
I'm dressed as Brandiac fourteen. I'm like, I don't know
what that is. Yeah, this this I had no It
was kind of came back while we were watching it.
But yes, strangely, this week I remember going by very
fast and just being overwhelmed again because a lot of extras,

(07:11):
a lot of people that were not main cast taking
over like a lot of the screen time. So we
actually had small parts in a weird way, like we
were just sort of one component sitting one you know.
So I think it just required less mental energy and
commitment from us as actors. So I had less memories
of this than almost any other episode.

Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yeah, I had.

Speaker 4 (07:34):
Practically none, although I would like to officially declare this
was the phil Leads Broccoli episode. I don't know if
you guys remembered when I brought it up, but I
was like, I feel like it was the honeymoon episode.

Speaker 2 (07:48):
And the reason I remembered Hawaiian.

Speaker 4 (07:52):
I was like, I remember being in like a Hawaiian
there were lays, I remember Phil Leads being in La
And I was like, so, what was that?

Speaker 2 (07:59):
That to have been the honeymoon?

Speaker 4 (08:01):
I forgot entirely about this storyline, So will what about
you thoughts about the episode?

Speaker 3 (08:09):
It was an episode?

Speaker 2 (08:10):
Oh man, you like it?

Speaker 3 (08:12):
I didn't. It was not it was it was And
I know people are gonna be like, it's because you
weren't in it. I like episodes that I'm not in.
I found this to be really weird. I mean just
the yeah, just just very it was very strange. It
was just maybe it's just kind of an off putting
episode because the whole thing essentially takes place on a
game show. Like Rider was saying, the thing with the

(08:34):
Samoans was bizarre. I'm using the word bizarre correctly. There. Ye,
I don't feel like the characters learn anything. They just
all of a sudden decided it was bad. You know,
it was Topanga at least I thought. At first. I
was like, please tell me she's at least kind of
a problem with this, and then she did, which is good,

(08:55):
So I was like, okay, good, they're they're addressing the
fact that Tapanga really doesn't feel comfortable with almost from
the start, which is great, so I thought. But yeah,
it was I found it very off putting the episode.
And again it wasn't it was. That's why I say
it was an episode. It seemed just kind of a
filler episode. It was just kind of there. It didn't
do anything to push anybody's storylines forward. It was like
an MTV video.

Speaker 2 (09:16):
So in that case, I really liked it.

Speaker 1 (09:18):
Yeah, and then it's okay, the argument I would give
for this episode because I agree.

Speaker 3 (09:22):
I mean it's wacky. It's like a one off, wacky,
you know, rom to standalone.

Speaker 1 (09:26):
But I feel like a lot of a lot of
the the energy in the episode and the strength comes
from Phoenie's speech. Well, I think I feel like almost
everything was written around that scene. You know, like he
gets to really tell us off in like a really
kind of harsh way. Yeah, that is profound and it
was a great speech and it's kind of true, you know,

(09:48):
like the things he's saying or I totally believe. Yeah,
and it was absolutely so I feel like, yeah, the
balance is a little off, but that is a great
speech and then just wrap it in this wacky episode.
To me, it's more just the fact that that it's
not our main cast, like we have all these producers
and hosts and like people getting most of the springtime.

(10:11):
So weirdly the episode went by super fast for me. Yeah,
I I need to oh wait, wait, it's over. It's like,
did we actually do twenty two minutes? Which maybe is
just because it was entertaining, so it's something, but it
also just felt like we didn't spend that much time
with any of us or any of the issues besides
the Phoene speech.

Speaker 3 (10:27):
I was always it was just like, oh, oh it's over.
Oh that's yeah. Maybe that's what it was. Maybe it's
the speed again. I like a good ROMP one off episode.
I'm a huge fan of that. Throw in Bill Daniels
acting with that monologue could have been great to Yeah,
I get maybe it was because it was the only storyline.
There was no break from it, so it was just
kind of that's what you get is these duck angles

(10:50):
and shots and super super close ups of everybody all
the time.

Speaker 1 (10:56):
Yeah, right, righties, handheld camera session that everybody was going through.

Speaker 3 (11:01):
I guess maybe I needed a B story or a
break of something of something, which would they kind of
tried to do. But even even the B story is
just the A story in the classroom, so it is
it's there's no there's no reprieve, but doesn't make kind.

Speaker 1 (11:16):
Of feel of a piece with the rest of season four,
considering the singled out episode. Considering I mean like.

Speaker 3 (11:22):
Yeah, but I felt that same thing with the single
out episode, as like, Wow, a lot of this is
taking place at the singled out episode, and it's strange.

Speaker 1 (11:28):
I think they were just reacting to having done Long
Walk to Pittsburgh two episodes of that. You know, it
was like time to like, let's lighten it up, lighten
it up.

Speaker 3 (11:37):
But then they did. They wanted to show they want
they wanted to They didn't want to lighten it up
though they wanted it to be still a feenie kind
of vehicle of why it's bad that this has happened.
We're at the end of the day. In my head
the entire time, I was just thinking to myself, Okay, well,
why couldn't they just make a different show, make a
show with John Adams, make it a pop culture show.
It's not you know, they're not bastardizing the It is

(12:00):
kind of what happens right, right, But huh, that's cool, right,
But then that's to me, that's not a bad thing.
It's like you get to like when they brought in
the second group of kids from the Hawaiian Our Malibu
show high School, Yeah, whatever, it was, just make it that.
And then it's like, well, no, we kept we have
the high school quiz show, which wasn't getting good ratings.
That's still on, but we also have pop culture show.

(12:22):
So it didn't seem like that big idea. The point
is that they will.

Speaker 1 (12:24):
It's just that Sean and Cory to Pega aren't going
to play along because they have.

Speaker 3 (12:29):
Other why But they're great at pop culture. So if
you're going on a show that that's the point is
I know pop culture? They what's wrong with being the
champion of pop culture? Show?

Speaker 4 (12:39):
I think the point was that, uh, the sponsors, the
reason and the ability, the reason you're even able to
keep a show on the air is when it makes money.
And so the idea is this show isn't making money,
and so the sponsors are seeing ooh, but this is
starting to make it exciting. I'm going to put all
my money here. So now quiz Show's really going to
get no ratings money because why do that when we

(13:01):
can do it here? And I actually really I really
enjoyed the episode. I agree obviously we have very small parts,
and normally that does kind of throw me when the
entire episode is given to a different group of people.
But I really liked the commentary. Unlike writer who felt
that Bill's mister Feenie speech was the whole kind of
crux of the episode, it was that too. But for me,

(13:23):
what I loved and what really resonated with me is
when somebody and I don't remember who it is, and
I'm going to paraphrase because I don't remember the exact quote,
but it's in my notes. Makes the point, if we
have this big of an audience, don't we have an
obligation to put something intelligent in there? If you know,
shouldn't it be a shouldn't it also be educational? And

(13:45):
what I loved is that it felt like this was
an absolute direct answer to why is Boy Meets World
the way Boy Meets World is? And the answer is
that we have an obligation if kids are watching, we
have an obligation to put something intelligent into it and

(14:07):
make you learn something. Now, we also have an obligation
to make it fun and to make it, you know,
make you want to watch it. But you cannot just
do episode after episode after after episode of fluff when
you have an audience paying attention.

Speaker 2 (14:21):
And I loved that message.

Speaker 3 (14:24):
Message, But that message is great, I overall disagree with
that message. Is the thing is I think you can
just do a fluff television show for kids. I think
I don't think there's anything wrong with kids can shut
off their brains for twenty and I'm not saying that's
what Boy Me to World is. Obviously we are not
that even close. But I don't I don't see a
problem with a wipeout show for kids where they are

(14:44):
running through an obstacle course, they're learning nothing. It's just
fun like it. It doesn't seem like you you're not just.

Speaker 4 (14:50):
Learning nothing in an obstacle, you're not just doing you.
I don't think you're just not learning anything. I think
watching other people do something athletic and seeing.

Speaker 3 (14:59):
How athletic is still doing. But yeah, there's plenty of
flip shows for kids that aren't.

Speaker 4 (15:03):
Bad TikTok, because TikTok is nothing but dances and and
mindless brain rotten.

Speaker 3 (15:10):
One of the reasons I hate TikTok, one of the
many reasons I hate it is.

Speaker 4 (15:14):
It's the when we've argued about, you know, why TikTok
should go away, and you always argue about TikTok and
other countries being educational, and you're like, that's smart.

Speaker 3 (15:22):
But that's because that's the biggest platform that kids are
watching and the only thing they are looking at nowadays.
If you've got forty Saturday morning cartoon shows or Saturday
morning shows at nineties in the nineties, it's okay for
one or two of those to not use that time
to be educational, to just be fluff and fun.

Speaker 1 (15:41):
I think, I think, you know, I think the point
that that that this episode makes that I do agree
with Danielle is really great, is that.

Speaker 3 (15:48):
It's the seduction.

Speaker 1 (15:50):
It's that it's that this show was an intelligent, uh,
you know, knowledge based trivia show that then got seduced
by agree you can get these none hundred percents get
this much money. And I do think that there's a
danger no matter what creative project you're doing to chase popularity, right,
like you know, and so yes, and I think it's
a it's clearly our writing, our writers, our productions speaking

(16:14):
directly to the critics that would have it like just
have fun, just be a silly kids show. And boy
Meet's World always resisted that degree, and I think to
its credit, there are there are plenty of other kids
shows that were being made that never had pretensions of
being more right, and that's what I'm fine. But you know,
what are the shows that people are talking about now?

(16:36):
To me, it's the ones that kind of lodged into
your brain something a little bigger, a little more. And
so I do think that that it shows that our
our writers were so aware of what their values were,
and they were intentionally you know, fighting popularity at times.
You know, it would be easy to just you know,
you talk about this episode, but there's an episode of

(16:57):
Dinosaurs that Michael Jacobs wrote that is legendary in the
same way, where the dad becomes the head of a
network and they just end up showing pretty colors and
box of puppies on television and the IQ of the
nation drops and it's it's the same storyline. And I
just think that that value system is actually pretty great,
you know, and this is a fun way to sort
of display that in stories. I don't disagree with any

(17:20):
of that, really, I really don't, I know, but I
agree that that that there should be just fun shows. Yeah,
That's all I'm saying is that it's okay to also
and you could easily have And I get why they.

Speaker 3 (17:30):
Didn't do it. I totally understand why they didn't do it,
but you could easily have feene have said something along
the lines of, I get there's a place for this
for fun pop culture. That's not what this was, and
so you're taking that space that was one of the
small spaces set aside just for intelligence and air addition
and a show like that, and now you're bastardizing that

(17:51):
why can't you keep this how it was and still
do the show you want to do with the dancers,
I guess is what.

Speaker 1 (17:57):
The hardest part is that the choice, like the choice
comes down to Corey into Panga and Sean right, like
they have to take a stance because because they're not
the producers of the show, right right, So it's this
weird sort of slide of hand that.

Speaker 3 (18:08):
You have to do as a as a script to
like put it in our court.

Speaker 1 (18:12):
And I'm yeah, I'm still a little confused as to
like what exactly, Sean that's the choice isn't really set
up exactly like what To.

Speaker 2 (18:21):
Me, it was all very clear. I loved it.

Speaker 4 (18:23):
The idea was you're going to win, and if you win,
you get to keep continuing to have the fame and
the money, no money, You have to choose even though
you know the answer, and and winning would feel good
and is the seductive thing, and you get to prove
what you've been trying to prove to the producers, which

(18:44):
is we're more than just personalities, we have some brains.
You have to instead choose to let all that go
because you recognize that not only are you dumbing down society,
but you are also becoming done for participating in it.

Speaker 2 (19:00):
And so I loved it, and even.

Speaker 4 (19:02):
The idea that all that it was all focused on
the producers, I truthfully loved the an episode being about
behind the scenes. This is the mentality that goes into
creating the stuff that's out there. It is a conversation
of listen, I like the way this is going. I've
got money if it goes that way. And you know,
in any industry that's going to be eventually. If you

(19:27):
want to stay on the air, if you want to
keep your job, if you want to make you have
to cater to that to a certain extent.

Speaker 3 (19:34):
But I'm sorry just because you mentioned it. That's one
of the things that bumped me at the end was
that Sean. One of the things that threw me was
Sean should not have thrown an actual question. The question
they gave him was one that required intelligence and education.
They should have given him a pop culture question that
he knew the answer to to that where something was

(19:54):
along the lines of X Men or something like that,
where he'd been talking about it the whole episode because
he threw it on a on a question that was
the questions they were hoping to be asked. Topanga the
whole time was going, why can't you ask us some
intelligent questions? And so they finally did and he threw it,
Whereas I feel like they should have put in another
one of those hey we got because that was the

(20:17):
this is all parody of quiz Show, and quiz Show
sets it up to where he knows the answer. He
knows the answer. He knows the answer, which they did hear,
but they should have made it. He knows the answer
because it's his pop culture favorite thing.

Speaker 2 (20:29):
But Sean wants to you.

Speaker 3 (20:29):
They finally gave Sean the question.

Speaker 4 (20:31):
Sean hell been told you're a good looking person with personality,
you don't need to have intelligence, and he said don't.
Isn't that how you feel? And he said, I'm gonna
have to think on that.

Speaker 2 (20:44):
So we wanted.

Speaker 4 (20:45):
The reason they gave him a question that required it
is because we wanted to see he does know it
and his answer is I'm not okay with it because
if he was okay with it.

Speaker 3 (20:55):
He would have kept it going. He's making up. Oh, exactly,
get that, but I think that's why you They give
him the easy softball question to me to again rewriting
in the time machine.

Speaker 1 (21:04):
Are they more powerful them?

Speaker 3 (21:09):
A hard question to s's not that too until she
says he says who's going to win? Or she says
who's gonna win? And he says, I don't care, So
it wasn't they didn't care which team won at that point.

Speaker 4 (21:20):
She was trying to tank it though, because she she
didn't think we were going to participate in it, so
she was they were trying.

Speaker 2 (21:25):
They were absolutely trying to.

Speaker 1 (21:27):
Question Cautines to be the stars at the show, and
I could.

Speaker 3 (21:31):
Have worked either. Again, it was it was just that
bump me. I would have loved a X Men question,
to where Sean then turns and says something like the
printing press was invented by Gutenberg, and everyone's right, what
the hell are you talking about? And then they get
off the show like it just was. Would have been
more powerful to me than that is just my again
humble opinion.

Speaker 4 (21:50):
Well, guest starring buckle up, we got a list. Steven
Gilbourne as Arthur Candibb, PhD. He was a busy character
actor seen in TV shows like The Wonder Years, Perfect Strangers,
La Law, and Living Single, and films like The Brady
Bunch Movie, Private Parts and Evolution. He passed away in
two thousand and nine at age seventy two. And then

(22:11):
we have Nancy Lenahan as Susan Callibac, another wildly busy
actor who has been in everything. TV shows include Family Ties, Alf, Felicity,
and Veep, and movies like Catch Me If You Can,
The Great Outdoors, Pleasantville, and Human Nature. And she is
still working, appearing in the recently released horror movie Night Swim.

Speaker 2 (22:31):
And then, as I.

Speaker 4 (22:32):
Mentioned, Broccoli King, Phil Leads returns Now as Milton. This
is his second of three Boy Meets World episodes that
he appears in. And then we have Mark DeCarlo as
Brett McInerney. Mark is a Chicago legend who nineties obsessed
listeners will recognize as the host of the dating show Studs,
a game show best remembered for having on Ronald Goldman

(22:53):
two years before he was murdered by someone most people
believe to be O. J.

Speaker 2 (22:57):
Simpson.

Speaker 1 (23:00):
I remembered that we'd worked with the host of Studs
because I actually watched US. I remember we talking about
this and I thought it was like, I was like,
was it Mitch who was our audience? I thought maybe
it was him because they kind of look alike. And
I was like, no, but Mitch didn't host Studs. But
now I know why.

Speaker 3 (23:14):
Yeah, this also another Seinfeld crossover. All that loves the
Seinfeld of the guest stars.

Speaker 1 (23:20):
Si comm actors Man there was a stable.

Speaker 3 (23:23):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (23:23):
He's also the voice of Jimmy Neutron's dad and played
Alec Berg in the Seinfeld episode The Face Painter.

Speaker 2 (23:31):
And then we have Gina Marie as Kiki.

Speaker 4 (23:33):
She's got Nash Bridges Night at the Roxbury and just
shoot me on her resume. But most impressively, she is
credited as a stunt performer in Transformers, Ocean's thirteen Dysturbia
and two thousand and six Poseidon.

Speaker 3 (23:47):
Tons of Stuff. I was looking at her filmography. I
mean she has been a stunt person for years, cod
in huge movies. Yeah, really cool.

Speaker 4 (23:56):
She's now credited as Gina Marie Jensen. So she married
someone with the last name Jensen.

Speaker 3 (24:03):
If Jensen had gotten in there, he could be Jensen
Jensen Jensen Jensen.

Speaker 4 (24:06):
Couldn't that be great if Jensen had married the person who.

Speaker 2 (24:09):
Had the last name Jenny.

Speaker 3 (24:10):
You have to mary the person with name, and then he.

Speaker 4 (24:13):
Could take and take his last name.

Speaker 2 (24:15):
It's a great idea. Jensen Jensen, Jensen Jensen.

Speaker 3 (24:18):
I went to schob a kid named Soren Sorenson. Does
that count?

Speaker 2 (24:20):
Wow? That is cool?

Speaker 3 (24:22):
Shout out to sworn.

Speaker 4 (24:23):
And then Marcus Toji as Einstein Kidd best known as
Marcus and the movie Little Giants, but he also showed
up on thunder Alley, Family Matters and The West Wing.
He is still acting as an adult. You may have
seen him on It's Always Sunny, the Goldbergs or Workaholics,
or you've heard him as Andy on this year's Moon
Girl and Devil Dinosaur.

Speaker 3 (24:44):
Sure.

Speaker 4 (24:45):
So, to jump into our recap high school quiz show,
New Settler Yeah Foeneus panicked and talking to a show producer.
Refusing to forfeit, she rolls her eyes and tells him
that after thirty six years of being on air, the
quiz show always has three plays per team and they
will not be changing that rule for him. We see
Tapanga at the John Adams High School Players bench, but

(25:06):
her teammates Robin Royce and Robert Owen are missing. Phoene
tries to explain the bus broke down, and the woman
asks how did Tapanga arrive without the bus? Then Phoene
explains she was driven over by and then he turns
to see Corey and Sean have joined the two empty
seats on stage next to Topanga.

Speaker 3 (25:24):
Okay, so, Robin Royce obviously worked on our show? But
who was Robin Owen? Was that somebody out? Robin Royce
was one of our Was our one of our set guys?

Speaker 1 (25:32):
Really?

Speaker 2 (25:32):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (25:32):
Yeah, I was, But I know Robin Owen I don't remember.
But Robin Royce, I'll never forget that name. Super nice guy.
Was was one of our Maybe was the headset designer.

Speaker 2 (25:42):
Huh.

Speaker 3 (25:42):
I can't remember what Robin did, but he was. He
was on the show for it might have been all
seven years. Oh cool, So I think all the names
we used were people involved with the show.

Speaker 2 (25:52):
That would make sense.

Speaker 4 (25:53):
Yeah, so, Phoene quickly retracts his previous statement. They are
willing to forfeit. She walked right up to the boys
and asks where they go to school. Sean begins to answer,
but he can't remember. Corey tries to help the head
in the hallway that's John Adams's head. Sean confidently tells
her we go to John adams Head High School.

Speaker 3 (26:12):
Good joke.

Speaker 4 (26:13):
Phoeney explains this is why they forfeit. She tells her
crew to get the boys into makeup. Sean and Corey
are repeatedly pressing their buzzers with excitement, and feoene begs
aloud for the love of God, no, and then High
School Quiz Show continues. The announcer Phil Leads unenthusiastically announces
High School Quiz Show is back with the host Arthur Candbb.

(26:34):
Arthur stands in front of a scoreboard that reads twenty
to zero. With John Adams already losing.

Speaker 2 (26:39):
He reads the.

Speaker 4 (26:39):
Next question, the region known as the fertile Crescent lies
between which two rivers to Panga buzzes first, and Sean
starts cracking up because Arthur said fertile to Panga answers correctly,
and Corey and Shawn jump up with enthusiasm. Sean yells
at the other team.

Speaker 2 (26:53):
You suck.

Speaker 3 (26:55):
And we can. Finally, so is this the first or
second time we've said because remember in the episode when
we were with I think we specifically had to change it.
So we've obviously hit an age where you suck is acceptable?

Speaker 2 (27:06):
Or are we still on at nine thirty at the song?

Speaker 5 (27:09):
Oh, I don't know, are we We're already back?

Speaker 2 (27:12):
Okay, I don't know.

Speaker 1 (27:13):
Did we said time? I think it's just culturally like
by ninety seven.

Speaker 3 (27:18):
You don't think it was just you know, I think
it's just no.

Speaker 1 (27:21):
I think we were well, maybe that we're older, you mean, yeah,
that we're older.

Speaker 3 (27:25):
Older characters can say you suck. Yeah, yeah, I don't know,
but it was so interesting to hear because I remember
the conversation of you're not allowed to say.

Speaker 2 (27:31):
That, you can't say that.

Speaker 4 (27:34):
The audience, including our most famous background actor, Cal Penn
right there, who is sitting a front row center, gives
them a huge round of applause. Arthur announces the new
score twenty to one. Sean yells to the audience, we
will not be denied, and the crowd goes crazy, erupting
with more applause.

Speaker 1 (27:54):
And so this was our actual audience, bleachers, this is
where our audience was, right, yeah, in real but of
course our audience was actually bigger than this. So they
took like just one small section. Yeah, I really I
just wanted a connecting shot between the set and the audience,
because you never got that yconnected. It was just always

(28:16):
cutting to the audience isolated, and I just wanted to
like know where we were in like physical space. So
not seeing that connecting shot was frustrating to me. I mean,
I know what it looks like because we were always there,
but like I don't know, I don't know if that
bothers anybody else, but it was like, yeah, I want
to see where the cameras are in relation to the audience,
in relation to.

Speaker 4 (28:36):
The because the way we are looking this direction to
the audience, the way we're waving, lets me know the
audience is basically directly in front of the front right.

Speaker 3 (28:47):
So I love the progression of the set too, where
it's like really drab when you first was like thrown
together drab kind of This is a lame show that
is probably on PBS, you know, some kind of local
public station. The host two like what is he something?
K next time he says, And the other progression was

(29:08):
very funny.

Speaker 2 (29:10):
The producer is in awe.

Speaker 4 (29:11):
She's never seen a crowd like this, She says, teams
are usually composed of bookish academic types, but Phoene's team
they have a certain and Poene finishes educational deficiency. She
was gonna say they're cute and fun to watch. And
then a man walks in between Foenie and the woman,
introducing himself as a representative for Oahu Beach. Face savers.
He sees the energy of the teenagers in the crowd

(29:32):
and suggests that his company would be willing to spend
some advertising money if the show continues on this path.
Tapanga tells the boys she's worked very hard to be
on this team, so she'd appreciate it if they'd stop
pressing the buzzer just because they like the sound. Corey
and Shawn agree, but then Corey smacks the buzzer one
more time.

Speaker 2 (29:49):
Sorry, fast time.

Speaker 4 (29:50):
Just then the producer runs on stage and hands Arthur
new questions and answers for the upcoming round. The Broccoli
King says three two one, and the.

Speaker 2 (29:58):
Show is a MA three two one three two.

Speaker 4 (30:04):
And it's time for the Lightning round, where questions are
now worth two.

Speaker 3 (30:08):
Points, so funny two points.

Speaker 4 (30:14):
I love the idea that like lightning, what is it?
And it's just it's just from one to two. But
also like I don't know why the number of points
makes a difference, but it does.

Speaker 1 (30:25):
They can't talk about how much fun our writers were having.
What's the least entertaining show?

Speaker 3 (30:30):
We can come up with.

Speaker 1 (30:32):
As anti entertaining as possible, and they just got to
come up with all this stuff.

Speaker 4 (30:36):
And also Phil Leads is so good in this.

Speaker 1 (30:41):
Anti entertainment, Like let's get an announcer who's the most
miserable board person who's into the chair and then put
away on him.

Speaker 2 (30:50):
I mean, it is hilarious.

Speaker 3 (30:54):
I guess when you do just watch it as it
went off, it is just funny to maybe I was
just in a bad mood. Yeah, because the because the
actual set pieces of the little bits of comedy are
very funny layers. They really are funny, and the progression
is great too. Maybe it was just a bad mood.
Off to watch again, it just.

Speaker 1 (31:13):
Didn't feel like our show.

Speaker 3 (31:14):
You know. It's just kind of jarring.

Speaker 1 (31:15):
It's just kind of like what do we watch It's yeah.

Speaker 3 (31:18):
It's weird.

Speaker 2 (31:19):
I don't know.

Speaker 4 (31:20):
I maybe I just don't like us that much. And
I think I thought this was great.

Speaker 2 (31:23):
I loved it.

Speaker 1 (31:24):
I was like.

Speaker 2 (31:26):
Please.

Speaker 1 (31:27):
I also think to Penga's given a lot to do
in this.

Speaker 3 (31:30):
It's a fun episode. You're right, it's a very good
character episode.

Speaker 4 (31:36):
Also we're in peak Danielle, so it's just but.

Speaker 1 (31:40):
Also something we were in it together, like you, you
are also complicit with the like you are, like you're
you know you're you're true to your character in the beginning,
but then when you start turning, you know, it's good
to be the queen. I'm like, yeah, that's great.

Speaker 2 (31:55):
She got seduced to exactly.

Speaker 4 (31:56):
And I love that message that even when you're even
when you have very strong convictions and it goes against
everything you think you are as a person, everyone's capable
of being seduced.

Speaker 3 (32:08):
So you can also be the moral center without always
being the stick in the mud. I think, exactly, you
don't have to be the naggy all the time. Why
are you doing this? Why? It's like they wrote it
in such a way where Panga actually has a great character.

Speaker 5 (32:21):
It's like, oh, she's thinking things instead of judging them.

Speaker 4 (32:25):
She's saying, we could, we could be better than this,
and don't you want to be and it's really putting
it on them. You decide. I know, I do, but
you decide for you.

Speaker 3 (32:35):
You're also part of the crew. You're part of the crew.

Speaker 4 (32:36):
Final I like it great, great, So Arthur reads. The
first category was up. The first question is what does
the X and X men stand for? As anticipated, this
is a question both Corey and Seawn actually know the
answer to what you don't think?

Speaker 2 (32:50):
You think?

Speaker 3 (32:50):
I don't know why X.

Speaker 4 (32:54):
They both give very detailed and well worded answers to
my question.

Speaker 3 (32:59):
Suddenly articulate a thing.

Speaker 2 (33:03):
Yeah, is that it wasn't just you giving the answer.

Speaker 4 (33:06):
It stands for the ex You actually answered it like
a genius, right, And it just goes to It kind
of goes in line with what we talked about a
million times about the different levels and different types of
intelligence that you know.

Speaker 3 (33:22):
So I'm sorry. It also shows a little bit about
how education can work, where some people just gravitate towards
some topics and can be very intelligent.

Speaker 1 (33:30):
Which is why mister Turner brought that excellent.

Speaker 2 (33:36):
The ar ring teacher was something Shakespeare.

Speaker 3 (33:40):
Everybody boy was up? Was this also the scene? Did
anybody else know? At one point there's a foot and
a half a boom mic in the scene Wow, I
didn't know. I thought it was okay because it's like
it was so obvious, so obvious, I thought the same thing.

Speaker 2 (33:56):
Yeah, that's so funny.

Speaker 4 (33:58):
So they get the answer correct and the crowd goes crazy.
It is now twenty one to three, and then we're
in the Matthew's kitchen. Corey bursts through the back door.
They are now looking at the new champion of high
School Quiz. His parents are confused, but Corey brags, finally
someone understands my particular genius. Alan is in shock. He
doesn't understand. What do you mean you're champion? Don't they

(34:19):
ask really tough questions? Corey laughs, maybe for you, and
then he runs up the stairs.

Speaker 3 (34:24):
Grilled cheese and tomato soup. By the way, what they're reading,
yeah delicious.

Speaker 2 (34:30):
Back at the high school.

Speaker 4 (34:31):
Quiz show, Eric, Alan and Amy are now in the
crowd waiting for the show to start. Amy recalls watching
the show as a kid, but back then the contestants
were really smart. Alan assumes she's asking how Corey got
on the show, to which he directs the question to Feenie.
He sighs and tells them we live in a random
and chaotic universe. And I think maybe what could have
softened that question is asking what are Corey and.

Speaker 2 (34:54):
Sean doing on this show?

Speaker 3 (34:57):
Like them just just.

Speaker 4 (35:00):
Just Corey, like the idea that Corey and Sean are
a team, And you.

Speaker 2 (35:06):
Know, I don't know.

Speaker 4 (35:07):
It feels a little bad for the parents to be like,
why is my son on the Snoot Kids Show?

Speaker 2 (35:14):
I don't know.

Speaker 4 (35:15):
But then we see the stage of quiz Show, which
is now colorful and trendy with an o Wahu beach
face saver pad's logo front and center.

Speaker 3 (35:24):
There are per product by the way, a Wahu beach
face saver pads.

Speaker 5 (35:28):
It's medication, as I know, even sing about it in
the song It's like yeah.

Speaker 4 (35:40):
There are three fla girls dancing on stage, referred to
as the Knowledge Fever Brain Cell Dancers, and the elderly
monotone broccoli lover announcer is now sporting a pink lay
and is surprisingly upbeat as he introduces the host, Sweet Arty.

Speaker 3 (35:57):
K Arthur Killed or whatever.

Speaker 2 (36:05):
Yeah is now SWEETYK.

Speaker 3 (36:08):
And then it's just gone next week.

Speaker 4 (36:11):
Guys, Sweet Arty K dances out onto the stageckets boom.

Speaker 2 (36:17):
What else would a cool guy wear?

Speaker 3 (36:19):
He's a fast guy, know he's a fast boy.

Speaker 2 (36:21):
He welcomes us.

Speaker 4 (36:22):
To knowledge Fever that makes learning hip hot and happening.
He introduces the three returning champions from John Adams High
and presents the other teams three smart kids from some
other school. Arty k announces the first category is the
lifeguards of Baywatch, and Sean immediately buzzes in and answers
the question correctly before even hearing it.

Speaker 2 (36:40):
John Adams High.

Speaker 4 (36:41):
Receives one million points, already pauses the show for a
few words from their sponsor, because that's the way the
world works. The Knowledge Fever Brain Cell Dancers make their
way back onto the stage and start dancing to a
rap about zits. The crowd is loving it, and so
are Corey and Sean. Tapanga points out the obvious they're

(37:03):
just answering questions about TV and comic book trivia. Does
that truly make them feel intelligent? Sean slams his hand
on Corey's buzzer, reminding her it's why they're returning champions.
Then the break is over and we're back with round two.
The ad rep asks the woman in charge between me
and you, these John Adams kids, they're never gonna lose.

Speaker 2 (37:21):
Right on cue.

Speaker 4 (37:22):
Sean answers the next question about what type of animal
Ren and Stimpy are, and Corey gives the bonus answer,
which awards them a total of.

Speaker 2 (37:29):
Three million points one.

Speaker 4 (37:32):
Again, the crowd goes wild, and Alan turns to Amy,
I don't know who they're trying to impress with this show.

Speaker 2 (37:40):
Eric excitedly tells him rocos a Wallaby the stuff I
don't know, Alan says, now he gets it. It's funny,
that's funny.

Speaker 4 (37:51):
The producer runs up to Corey, asking him to add
a little dramatization to his express expressions before answering a question.
Corey nods and gives her a perfect demonstration.

Speaker 3 (38:02):
Of cake cake face Adam Sandler thing right like he looked?
Is he trying to look like Adam Sandler? Because it's
he was such an Adam Sandler fan.

Speaker 2 (38:13):
He was a bit.

Speaker 3 (38:13):
I think it's like the same kind of like Adam Sandler.

Speaker 4 (38:17):
Right, he did that face for god, I forgot what
it was, but he did.

Speaker 3 (38:21):
He had a little yeah it was it was it
not happy Gilmore. But is it Billy Madison or but
he was? I mean, Ben was such an Adam Sandler fan.

Speaker 2 (38:32):
You remember to his CDs oh.

Speaker 3 (38:35):
Yeah, going to his movies. I remember going. We were
there opening night of Happy Gilmore. It was I mean,
he was a huge Adam Sandler fan. I think this
is his homash Adam Sandler. But it's such a great face. Well,
at this point, it's in the script, and.

Speaker 4 (38:50):
If everybody has been confused about what cake faces, this
is a perfect close up of it. This is your
prime example of cake face.

Speaker 2 (38:58):
Cake face.

Speaker 4 (38:59):
And then she asks Sean to flash some of those thoughtful, poudy,
sexy lips. Sean understands exactly what she's saying and gives
them all a demonstration of basically duck lips. Lastly, the
woman asks Tapanga to tousle her hair and flirt with
the camera a little. Topega isn't comfortable with any of this.
Before they had questions that required real knowledge. She thought
that was the whole point of the show. The woman

(39:20):
corrects her, The point of the show is to attract
an audience. I suggest you take a look at your audience.
Tapega turns to face the crowd. In a row of
posters fly up that read Topanga is our queen.

Speaker 2 (39:30):
She smiles and admits it's good to be queen.

Speaker 3 (39:34):
Okay song. Yeah, the whole moral conversation we're having at
the beginning is a conversation that they have in Quiz Show.
So it goes to show that there is the question
of entertainment value versus educational value, because Hanka's Areas is
sitting in front of the Congressional Committee at the end

(39:55):
and he says, the advertisers make money, the audience is
thrilled to be there, the contestants make more money than
they're ever going to see. Everybody knows that it's a
you know, it's a television show, so who gets hurt?
And it's that same kind of moral question that we
were talking about at the beginning where it's like, well,
can it just be an entertainment show? Well, no, it
was supposed to be an educational show. Well if they

(40:17):
fake the education part, but they do that for for entertainment,
per Again, they going back to what you were both
saying about, maybe I read too much into this episode.
There really is an underlying morality question that they write
to in Quiz Show, which is that same question of
what is entertainment versus education? And is it okay if
everybody's entertained and everybody's benefiting from it to fake it,

(40:40):
and you think, so, no, I don't. There's times I
do and times I don't. Where again I get Hank
is Aria's point of view where he says, everybody knows
that when we do a movie that it's not really
soldiers parachuting behind the enemy lines we're shooting that it's fake.
Like everybody gets that going in and you turn on
your television, you know that you're at least back in
the day in the nineties, and you turn on a
television show, you knew that you're essentially turning on a

(41:03):
show for entertainment. So that is there's that question of
that morality line which quiz show And actually, in a
way this episode kind of rides pretty interestingly, which is,
you know, what's okay?

Speaker 1 (41:15):
Remember how boring news used to be. Like the idea
like a person behind a desk delivering information with no
graphics and no was basic. It was very uh, straightforward.
And now there's not a single news show that doesn't
have amazing clips and graphics and sound and the bottom

(41:35):
and right. It's it's a you know, we're infotainment era,
Like it's the progression is has gone on since the
nineties for.

Speaker 4 (41:42):
Sure, but there are some things like you can't release
a documentary and not follow the rules sure of a documentary,
like you you know.

Speaker 1 (41:52):
I feel like it's the line has gotten cross even
that's gotten it's gotten so blurry, you know. You look
at something like The Jinks or yeah, these these documentaries.

Speaker 3 (42:01):
Where you're like, is that ethical, Like that's a you know,
a fine line.

Speaker 1 (42:05):
And then also re enactments that are not labeled as
such within documentaries like that, And I mean I get
it in a postmodern sense, you know, the line between
fiction and nonfiction is blurry and interesting. But yeah, I
think holding true to the values that this episode espouses
is really great and should be done more, should be

(42:26):
emphasized more.

Speaker 4 (42:27):
Couldn't agree more so most of the time. So then
Tapanga willingly tousles her hair, Corey shows off cake face,
and Sean gives the crowd his poudy lip. The entire
audience is going crazy, except for Alan Amy and Feoene,
who bury their heads in their hands, and then we
get some wild bongo drums into John Adams High. Phoene

(42:50):
is teaching a lesson on the creation of the printing press,
which made information accessible to everyone. But while he's lecturing, Corey,
Sean and Tapanga are a little busy. They're autographing are
real headshots?

Speaker 2 (43:02):
Were fellow classmates?

Speaker 1 (43:03):
Right?

Speaker 2 (43:04):
But only that was your actual headshot?

Speaker 3 (43:06):
I was to remember.

Speaker 1 (43:06):
I was like, I know this photo, but I was like,
did they take this for this or is it just
actually what? I was just your hat.

Speaker 4 (43:12):
Shot and I don't I didn't get to see mine.
I wanted to see which one. I didn't see anybody else's,
but yours was very visible, and I was like, that's
writer's real headshot.

Speaker 1 (43:19):
It was it? I mean, it looked like I was younger.
I must it must have been my headshot when I
was like fifteen or sixteen. At this point, I think,
my yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 3 (43:28):
Do we want to mention a little bit about the
historical inaccuracy of this because Gutenberg is widely credited with
creating movable type and everything when it was actually done
in Korea three hundred years earlier. Wow, So I don't
know if that was If that's something that we should
bring up this It was such a crux of the show,
but it was actually it was the first book to

(43:50):
be printed with metal type. Was Producer on twelve thirty four,
and I believe it was. It was a copy of Confusion,
And I think it's just important to point out that
it's so it's just West are in bias that gives
necessarily because I think I think both are technically correct,
because I think Gutenberg was obviously able to print in
mass quantities or at least quote unquote mass quantities for

(44:11):
the time. But the Koreans were had movable type two
hundred years before Gutenberg ever did so.

Speaker 1 (44:18):
In terms of actual technological progress, they were well ahead.
But in terms of social like the spreading of this tech.

Speaker 3 (44:26):
Right, yeah, right, So I guess both are technically correct,
but I think you do need to shout out that
it was done in Korea two hundred years before Gutenberg.

Speaker 4 (44:34):
I just can't believe Steve Gutenberg was such a double threat.

Speaker 3 (44:37):
Right, I mean amazing he was doing his books and
Three Men in a Baby at the same circuit and
short circuit, I mean short circuit and doing the Bible
robots pretty Johnny five and John the back King James.
That's pretty impressive.

Speaker 4 (44:51):
Yesh, It's really I'm just glad we were just shining
a light on how amazing he is so amazing Steve
Gutenberg is. Phoene tries to interrupt their press junket because
there's some learning going on in Sean's scoffs. Maybe you

(45:13):
think it's important to learn that Gutenberg invented the printing press.
But pop culture and these Poudy lips have made me
a star. Phoene pushes back, I'm gonna try and put
this as kindly as possible. The show has turned into
a circus, and you three are driving the tiny car.
Corey defends their circus. I'm proud that I knew that
Krusty the clown was the son of a rabbi. Topanga
speaks up, I answered a real question about the Tigris

(45:37):
and the Euphrates. Phoene would never deny to Panga her
moment in the sun, but knowledge Fever does not deal
with the knowledge he'd like her to absorb. Corey says,
the show's proving they're absorbing the right kind of knowledge.
That's why they're the champions. Class erupts into applause. Phoene
sternly asks champions of what of a generation whose verbal
and mathematical skills have sunk so low? When you have

(45:57):
the highest level of technology at your fingertips. Gutenberg's generation
thirsted for a new book every six months. Your generation
gets a new web page every six seconds. He shames
this generation for using technology to beat King Koopa and
rescue the princess.

Speaker 2 (46:11):
Ay know, super Mario, because he's got it.

Speaker 3 (46:13):
I thought that same thing. He's got to stay up
on all the pop culture stuff too, because he's got
You gotta knows it's very brilliant. It's brilliant.

Speaker 1 (46:22):
I knew every word of it. I don't know why,
but like the second it started going, I was like,
oh yeah, maybe it's just because it's the clip that's
out there, but it's it's beautiful because it's so true.
It's even today now you get a website every half
a second, in your phone, in your pocket, and what.

Speaker 2 (46:38):
Do we do with it?

Speaker 3 (46:39):
And it's true we all.

Speaker 1 (46:40):
Feel it like we're not sitting around with our free
time reading you know, amazing literature. Most of us are
sitting around.

Speaker 4 (46:47):
That's also casually mentioned. It's probably one of it's probably
the main reason why our anxiety and stress levels are
at an all time high too. Of course, because the
reason it's in our you know, it's in our pockets
and we're getting literally bombarded with information, too much information.

Speaker 1 (47:08):
Do you remember, like in the late nineties, there were
all this emphasis on like, oh, once we get the internet,
once we have access to all the books ever written,
we'll all be smarter and it'll all be great. And
the truth is you end up just being paralyzed by
this the sea of information. Too much information is not good.
It's actually better to have very focused a book every
six months.

Speaker 2 (47:27):
You know, Yes, I know.

Speaker 4 (47:29):
He ends his tirade with you deserve what you get.
The bell rings, but Foene demands his class to sit down.
He packs up his things and tells them for the
first time, I choose to walk out on you.

Speaker 3 (47:40):
And this is the only thing I remembered from shooting
this episode was this run through the first time he
did that. It was you could hear a pin drop
because it was that we talked about how Bill was
that this from the table read first Yeah, first run
through is the first time you got to hear him
say this in front of a classroom, and it was
just the three of you. There's no extras, there's anything

(48:00):
but just seeing that yeah moment for the first time ever.
Nobody spoke. It was just I think because then that
ends the scene and we would always you would then
get up and they'd move the chairs and everybody walk
to the next scene, and there'd be chatter between the two.
There was nothing, it was. It was silent as we
walked from that scene to the next scene. It was amazing, pointed.

Speaker 1 (48:19):
I mean, him saying shame on you is intense, you know,
like that's Phoene pulling out the big guns totally. We
haven't seen Phoene angry and disappointed to this degree ever,
And yeah, no, I don't think.

Speaker 3 (48:30):
No, this guy, he's disgusted by this point, and you
never you never see that. No, it was amazing.

Speaker 4 (48:36):
So then we're back on the set of Knowledge Fever.
The set is now covered in Louau decor with dancers
and grass skirts and lays on stage a Wahoo beach
face safer pads now present. Huh, that's cool, and Milton
is still introducing the show, but the host for this
spin off is now a younger, attractive woman named Kiki Love.

Speaker 3 (48:53):
Milton's still there. Milton kept this job.

Speaker 2 (48:56):
Yeah, Milton, the.

Speaker 3 (48:58):
Larder jacket was gone. Cool.

Speaker 4 (49:03):
While doing her best, Jenny McCarthy impression. She enthusiastically introduces
the challengers from Einstein Academy. The crowd gives them a
lengthy boo.

Speaker 3 (49:12):
Then we're into full handheld cameras and people faces Dutch angles.
This was like Dutch touch angles. That's all anybody talks
about back then.

Speaker 1 (49:23):
Was like the access to nonlinear editing just changed everything,
so then you could just run around with a camera
and be able to do these kinds of shots and
cut it all together real quick. And that was it
was called like MTV style And I could tell that,
like Jeff McCracken and all our crew were just.

Speaker 3 (49:38):
Loving being able to do this.

Speaker 1 (49:40):
And it's oh, it's so dated. I love it.

Speaker 4 (49:42):
I know it is so dated, but it's so fun.
Then Kekey introduces the champions, Lips Hair and Brainiac fourteen.
The crowd goes wild and Corey, who's wearing a light
up brain shaped hat, gives his confused look as he
waves to the audience. Keiki kicks off the first round
by asking John Adams High where the moon is. The
three get into a huddle to discuss their answer. They

(50:03):
break apart and just point to the sky. Kiki awards
them eight hundred million points for the correct answer. She
turns to Einstein Academy to ask the second question, what
does the moon weigh? Then they provide their answer, eighty
one quintillion tons. Kiki stares blankly at the camera. I'm
sure it is. However, that's not the answer we're looking for.

(50:24):
She turns it over to John Adams and Seawan answers
it doesn't weigh anything, because if it did, it fall
on us. Keiki announces that is correct because Einstein Academy
got the question wrong. The audience yells to bring out
the Samoans to poke sharp rods at the losers part.

Speaker 3 (50:41):
I didn't quite get.

Speaker 2 (50:42):
I don't either.

Speaker 1 (50:42):
I was waiting for them to be like slimed, which right,
I think this is a direct reference to but they
have some moans with spears, like what's happening to you?

Speaker 4 (50:51):
Well, I think the idea is, right, I think the
idea is and so what do we do in this situation?

Speaker 2 (50:57):
We kill them?

Speaker 1 (50:59):
And so the idea is I'm sure there was so
much discussion about yep, sliming them, putting water on that,
but it's so hard to do like I was imagined.

Speaker 3 (51:08):
Could we have like a cage fall on them, you know.

Speaker 1 (51:10):
But instead they were just like, let's just have some
some guys run out with spears and it'll do the
same thing story wise. But I kind of wish we
had gone the extra mile because if we had had
people them getting like doused in something, it would have
been closer to what Nickelodeon shows did. What all those
kinds of you know, doubled there like that. That's what
they're vibing on, right.

Speaker 4 (51:30):
Well, Jeff McCracken does not want to hear you say that.

Speaker 1 (51:33):
Jeff McCracken, he was probably sitting back going he wanted
it to but it maybe but time and time it's
such a fan.

Speaker 3 (51:42):
It would have killed us.

Speaker 4 (51:43):
It would have killed us, That's what I'm saying. Jeff
McCracken at the time would have loved, loved to shoot it.

Speaker 1 (51:47):
They all that, you know, they all were arguing for
everyone couldn't do it.

Speaker 3 (51:51):
I know you both said that you don't really remember
much about doing this episode. Do you remember if any
of this was done in front of an audience? I don't.
It wasn't. So you think the whole week was pre taped?

Speaker 2 (52:00):
Yeah, yeah, I think it, which is.

Speaker 3 (52:01):
Part of the reason why we don't remember it because
it was gotcha. Gotcha.

Speaker 4 (52:05):
Yeah, they had to block and shoot all of this
because it's just so time consuming. I mean, think about
with the Samoans, the hosts, the other teams. Think about
what a massive like every this is a full production.
It's basically dance numbers for all of these scenes, and
everybody has to hit their marks in the case. It's
just and getting all that coverage of everything.

Speaker 2 (52:24):
It had to have been.

Speaker 4 (52:25):
Block and shoot days for sure, I'm sure. So the
show ends and Brett, the sponsor for the show, is
introduced to Corey, Sean and Topanga. He explains that thanks
to them, the show now reaches four times as many
kids as it used to. The producer explains that huh,
that's cool. Will now need an even bigger commitment from them.
Tapega asks what they'll need, and they casually mentioned that
the three of them will have to miss a few

(52:46):
days of school. Sean and Corey nod they have no
issue with this. Topeka asks how many days, and it's
six weeks. The show runner excitedly reveals they're going to
shoot on location in a Wahoo. Sean asks Columbus, this.

Speaker 3 (53:00):
A wah who good joke.

Speaker 4 (53:03):
Topanga interjects, I don't think I can go. We have
finals coming up, and my grades have been suffering as
it is. And I mean, we know that this John
Adams has midterms and finals like with only in a
couple of weeks of each other.

Speaker 2 (53:14):
So this is.

Speaker 3 (53:17):
Broken up pep rallies and blood drives and it's got
to be Halloween, so much exit class and Halloween, not
to mention, Turner's funeral is what like three months now?

Speaker 2 (53:26):
Very soon? Yeah, Crazy.

Speaker 4 (53:30):
Corey agrees, telling miss Kelly Backer they're having fun, but
they need to think about this. She nervously tells them
they should definitely think about it, but she also thinks.

Speaker 1 (53:38):
You know what's interesting, there's just hearing you talk about
this because it's come up, you know in my life recently,
like thinking about, uh, if Indy got like a job
and had to leave school right for like an acting job,
Like that's a kind of a big deal. But when
I was a kid, it didn't seem like a big deal.
When I first started happening, I was like, well, this

(53:59):
is great, and my parents were pretty supportive of it.
They were like, right, we'll figure out how to work
school around it. But like, one of the things that
doesn't come up is are we getting paid?

Speaker 4 (54:09):
I know I think about that throughout this episode the
whole time.

Speaker 2 (54:12):
What's happened? What are we in this for other than
fame popularity?

Speaker 1 (54:15):
Which I think was smart because if they had made
it about money, it would have been probably a good argument.
Take six weeks, go to Hawaii, put you can go
to a private school that'll adjust to this and we'll
figure out your education. But when you take away the money,
something like just about the populard just the popularity, which.

Speaker 3 (54:34):
Again they actually did it, did it in small ways,
which is interesting, like even signing autographs in the classroom.
It's like it's just showing school. It's just that it's
just the popularity and fame, which is you're right, it's
a doctor incompletely change my mind. By the way, this
is my favorite episode. I think it's I think maybe

(54:54):
I was just in a bad mood. I was, you know,
I just one of those things. Because it's as we're
talking about it, I'm like, yeah, it does it hit.
It's a bunch of levels. The performances are great, So
I like that Tapanga actually had I mean it wrote
down in my notes and like, oh, Tipanga's got character
has a character, So yeah, you're right, best show we've
ever done.

Speaker 4 (55:13):
She nervously tells them that they should definitely think about it,
but they also should think about how they've become scholastic
role models for millions of kids. And this is where
again I loved that that it hits them are but
what kind of role models are we? You're right, we've
become the.

Speaker 3 (55:31):
Face now we have responsibility.

Speaker 4 (55:33):
Right, and it puts it on us like, oh, she
thought she was doing something that was going to make
us want to keep doing it, but instead it put
the bug in our head that like, oh wait, we
are so Brett, the sponsor guy adds, so let's get
in the bathing suits and let's get ready for round two.
The kids oblige and walk away, leaving the two adults
to wait and worry for their answers. And then we're
in the Matthew's backyard. Corey's holding his blinking brainiac hat

(55:57):
and he runs into Feenie outside. Feenie addresses him, so,
I suppose it's too much to hope that you've prepared
for tomorrow's class. Corey responds back to him by reciting
information from his class. Phoene surprised and Corey notes, please
don't tell anyone. I know that I am a little
confused about why is Corey home right now? Like I
couldn't figure out timing wise where we were in this
is this in between episodes.

Speaker 3 (56:18):
Of That's it's a Saturday?

Speaker 4 (56:20):
Oh okay, so he's going back.

Speaker 3 (56:22):
Why Phoene's home too, Sunday Sunday? Because monday's tomorrow's class.
So he's like, you're ready for class tomorrow? They don't shoot? Huh,
that's cool on Sundays. Everybody knows that everybody knows Phoene's home.

Speaker 4 (56:34):
Well we do know that actually because they have to
miss school for it.

Speaker 3 (56:36):
Right, so that say only shoot during the weeks.

Speaker 1 (56:38):
I think the bigger question for me is like this
this handoff, Like why does Sean end up having the
moment and Corey's having the arc here? Like Corey is
the one that's having the encounter with phoene parents. It's
really weird to me. I mean, as much as you know,
I think Sean is a great character, Like why he
becomes the one that makes the choice in the moment, Well.

Speaker 3 (57:00):
Because he's the one that would be the most easily
persuaded to be okay with this lifestyle.

Speaker 1 (57:06):
But does Corey end up influencing Sean at all in
the next scene. I'm trying to like, it would be great.
I don't know the transference from to Panga to Corey
to Sean. It's just it's it's a little muddy for me.

Speaker 4 (57:18):
Here's here's what kind of I felt actually kind of
sad about, is that they make Corey the brainy one,
right because they're implying there's nothing about him that would
be personality or looks driven. So on our team, Corey
is the smart one, but your sexy, pouty lips and

(57:42):
I care And so it's like, it's like, the reason
it has to be you.

Speaker 3 (57:49):
Is because I'm the most superficial.

Speaker 4 (57:52):
You are the most super You're the You're the one
who has the most to gain from this. You are
on the fence about whether or not being.

Speaker 2 (58:00):
Smart important to you. Are you smart?

Speaker 4 (58:03):
Well, we know you're good looking, So you have to
be the one to make this kind of final declaration
that which side of the road am I gonna choose.
I'm gonna yes, I'm gonna be more than.

Speaker 1 (58:14):
That, because like even in this moment, Corey's like is
knowledgeable about Schuttenberg, then denies it as if you want
I don't.

Speaker 3 (58:20):
Know this again, but yeah, it was a little strange
for me, but best episode we've ever done.

Speaker 2 (58:36):
So then we're back at huh, that's cool.

Speaker 4 (58:38):
The three champions are dressed in Hawaiian shirts and swimsuits
as they tell miss Kelly Backer what they've discussed. They'd
like to be asked some intelligent questions on the show.
She laughs and asks why they'd want that to Penga clarifies,
so there could be some educational value on the show.
Miss Kelly Backer explains no one watched the show when
they asked intelligent questions, and now they watch the show,
so she thinks they're doing the right thing. Corey wonders,

(59:00):
don't you think we should do a smart show? If
this many kids watch? Miss Kelly Backer thinks that's an
outrageous demand. Is this what she gets from making them famous?
Corey admits nobody recognizes him without the brainhead. Miss Kelly
Backer asks if this new format is something they all want,
and Sean looks apprehensive, so maybe that's what it is.
The three of this is the three of us have

(59:22):
talked off off camera.

Speaker 1 (59:24):
I wanted to see, I want to see, you want
to that This moment with Backyard, Feenie and Corey should
have been the three of us. It should have been
the three of us having doubts and going is this good?
I don't know, but I kind of like it. Maybe
we should talk.

Speaker 3 (59:36):
To the producer and then we cut to the producer.

Speaker 4 (59:38):
Yes, because also I love the idea that what the
three of us have obviously come to is there really
isn't anything wrong with having a fun show, but let's
find the balance. Let's also do this, which is exactly
what Boy Meets World is a balance of fun romp
with some real education thrown in there. Not just of
education book smart wise, but emotional intelligence, learn relationships, people,

(01:00:01):
family friends. So I would have loved to have seen
that too, you're right, writer, That would have been.

Speaker 1 (01:00:05):
Seen in Chubby's where we get recognized and Sean is
treated like a dumb dumb right, you know, even though
it's good for whatever, some girl only likes her because
and he's like, would I don't I kind of want
to heard it more than from my thoughts.

Speaker 4 (01:00:18):
Whatever, Right, So she grabs his arm trying to persuade
him to go against his friends. Sean tells her he's
going to have to think about it, but Miss Kelly
Backer is unsatisfied. She says they were prepared for something
like this to happen. The three of them wonder what
she meant by that, but we immediately go to the
taping of Huh That's Cool. Keky introduces hair Lips and
Brainiac fourteen, as she normally does, and the camera shows

(01:00:40):
the audience, some of whom are wearing brain hats just
like Corey's. Brett and Miss Kelly Backer are watching from
the side, and Brett asks if the kids are going
to be trouble. She says she's already taken care of it.
Kekey announces the challengers, who have traveled all the way
from Malibu, California. She introduces the three contenders, Viper Jones,
Surfer Girl, and Moondug Dog. They run out and dance

(01:01:03):
on stage, all dressed just like their John Adams counterparts.
The crowd first gives them a blank stare, but after
a second or two, they jump out of their seats
and start to cheer for the new challengers. Surfer Girl
tousles her hair as Viper and Moondoggie play air guitar
and flip their hair back and forth. Corey, Tebenga, and
Sean stare at them with their jaws dropped. Some time
has passed and Keiki is telling the audience that this

(01:01:25):
is two two dramatic. There's only one question left and
the score is tied one million trillion points each. The
final question goes to Lips. Sean nervously smiles as the
crowd loudly cheers for him. Miss Kelly Backer asks Brett
if he cares who wins, and Brett scoffs good looking
kids versus good looking kids.

Speaker 2 (01:01:45):
This is good TV.

Speaker 4 (01:01:46):
Keiki asks Sean the final question for the win, who
invented the printing press and made the written word available
to the masses for the first time in history. Sean smiles,
he knows this, but he's conflicted. It's the clock ticks
times up and Sean still hasn't answered the question. He
tells Kiki, I don't know. I don't really know anything.

(01:02:06):
I'm just cute and fun to watch to. Panga and
Corey are pleased by his answer, and then we're back
in Phoenie's classroom. Phoene walks in to find Topanga, Corey,
and Sean all sitting at their desks waiting for him.
He asks why they're early for class, and Sean answers
Johann Gutenberg. Gutenberg invented the printing press in fourteen fifty.
Phoenie nods he believes he taught Sean that. Corey raises

(01:02:28):
his hand next, can you teach us something else? He
smiles at him, and they all give him a warm
smile back. Then the other kids walk into class like losers.

Speaker 3 (01:02:37):
Do you remember in quiz show can for a little
trivia question? Do you remember the question that he threw? No?
King Beaudoin was the answer, But he says Leopold, knowing
full well he was wrong. There's your quiz show.

Speaker 2 (01:02:52):
Trivia for there's our trivia for the day.

Speaker 3 (01:02:54):
Right now. Jensen's going, yep, that's right.

Speaker 2 (01:02:56):
That's yeah, Dogly, Jensen's the only person.

Speaker 3 (01:02:58):
Who also knew that also got that.

Speaker 2 (01:03:00):
Yep, your memory for movies is really remarkable. Crazy.

Speaker 4 (01:03:06):
And then we're in the tag. We're in the Matthews
living room. The Matthews family along with the Penggun Shawn
are all gathered around the rim.

Speaker 3 (01:03:12):
Did you see it starts with you. We were obviously
something was happening because it starts with you almost losing it.
Oh well, I mean seconds away from losing it, Like
you barely got through the first line. So we were
obviously joking with each other or something right when they
just said action, because you were right about to lose
it right at the beginning. I didn't notice.

Speaker 2 (01:03:33):
It was so funny.

Speaker 4 (01:03:34):
I feel like this would have been a thing we
had very little time to shoot, Like they would have
saved it for the end, and they would have been like,
you've got six men.

Speaker 1 (01:03:41):
We've only got the Somemans. Here for the Ramons, here
for another twenty minutes getting here, the entire cast, we're
messing around. They're like kids, can't get it together.

Speaker 4 (01:03:51):
So the Matthews family, along with the Pegun Shawn are
all gathered around the room.

Speaker 2 (01:03:54):
Corey admits it's too bad we lost.

Speaker 4 (01:03:57):
Sean consoles him, at least we got this home version
of the show. Referencing the Huh That's cool board game
they're playing, Eric wines where are the dancers? Amy sarcastically
explains they couldn't fit in the box to Panga volunteers
to be Kiki standing up to mimic the enthusiastic hosts.
She asks Amy the first question, milk, where does it
come from? Amy and Alan guests cows and although that's correct,

(01:04:20):
it's not the answer they're looking for. The boys give
their answer a carton, and Tapega tells them to be
more specific. They shoot back a milk carton and they're correct.
The parents lost and you know what that means. Sim Owens,
Amy and Allen think it's a joke. But then the
game show, some Owens pop up all around the house
and they poke, yes, we have our own theme song.

Speaker 1 (01:04:45):
Shit.

Speaker 2 (01:04:46):
Yes.

Speaker 1 (01:04:47):
I shout out to Ray colcord Our, amazing composer piece.
You had so much fun this episode. He got to
write the rape, he got to write, you know, all
the theme music for the and then this.

Speaker 4 (01:04:58):
I just love it boy, so good, so good.

Speaker 3 (01:05:03):
You changed my mind. Yeah, I have no problem admitting
that you completely changed my mind. I think I was
too harsh at the beginning, and listening to the both
of you speak about it, I look at it a
different way. I'm going to go look at it again.

Speaker 1 (01:05:13):
I think it's totally changed. This podcast has done that
a few times. First, yeah, yeah, I know where it's like.
I started off kind of negative and end up more positive.

Speaker 3 (01:05:22):
It's a better episode than I gave it credit for.
I got to go. I gotta go look at it again.

Speaker 4 (01:05:26):
Well, thank you all for joining us for this episode
of Podmeets World. You can join us for our next
episode recap, which will be season four episode twenty Security
Guy that originally aired April fourth, nineteen ninety seven. As always,
you can follow us on Instagram pod Meets World Show.
You can send us your emails podmeets World Show at
gmail dot com and we have merch.

Speaker 3 (01:05:46):
Bye, some merch bye, some merch bye, some merch.

Speaker 4 (01:05:49):
Podmeets Worldshow dot com will send us out.

Speaker 3 (01:05:53):
We love you all. Pod dismissed. Podmeats World is not
iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fischel, Will and
Ryder Strong. Executive producers Jensen Carp and Amy Sugarman. Executive
in charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor, Tara
sudbachsch producer, Maddy Moore, engineer and Boy Meets World super
fan Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton

(01:06:14):
of Typhoon, and you can follow us on Instagram at
Podmeets World Show, or email us at Podmets Worldshow at
gmail dot com.