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"puttin' happy chords where they shouldn't be..."

I love that not only has Kulap's Jackee impression is really that (I'd previously thought I was just imagining it), but I also love that in 2011 someone is doing a Jackee impression. QUESTION: during the plugs of this episode, does Howard call Kulap "Cool Whip"?

"We all know what Donkey Kong is; what's he doing out in the country?" -- from Episode 1. Maybe the first time Howard causes Ku to laugh in disbelief? Followed soon by Howard's classic pronunciation of "banana."

Congrats Totally Laime; I'll be tuning in each week.

Congrats Totally Laime; I'll be tuning in each week.

Dear Earwolf and Earwolf Challenge folks: please don't let a few dicks with internet connections get you down. I suspect there are plenty of people who enjoy the show but don't bother with comment boards, or people like me who don't see a point in posting "I'm a big fan" every single day.

Dear Earwolf and Earwolf Challenge folks: please don't let a few dicks with internet connections get you down. I suspect there are plenty of people who enjoy the show but don't bother with comment boards, or people like me who don't see a point in posting "I'm a big fan" every single day.

From @hkremer: "Never tried heroin but I imagine it's like a Progressive Insurance commercial without the sales girl and the shelves."

From @hkremer: "Never tried heroin but I imagine it's like a Progressive Insurance commercial without the sales girl and the shelves."

At about the 48 minute mark, I realized it was a bad idea to listen to this podcast while eating my lunch.

At about the 48 minute mark, I realized it was a bad idea to listen to this podcast while eating my lunch.

Episode 40: Joe the Janitor listens to the Top 5 "F Troop" theme songs.

Episode 40: Joe the Janitor listens to the Top 5 "F Troop" theme songs.

RE: the revolving judges. If any of this season's judges would be available to return full time in future seasons, I'm all for it. I think they did a good job. RE: Left Handed Radio and improv. I agree it's still good work (and pretty amazing given the 10-minute constraint), but if I were judging, the "winner" would be the podcast who involved the guest in the best, most entertaining way, and I'd personally give the edge to Little Dum Dum Club. As the episode description states, we're picking nits here, but that's what happens when you're down to the Final 3/4/however many on a competition show. You're dealing mostly with strengths, so you've got to consider which weaknesses send a strong performer home.

The LHR criticism (which seems to be a very minor criticism, both on this board and with the show's judges) seems to extend from not knowing how much Mr. Thune improvised and how much LHR contributed to the sketch. I would dock points if it were determined (say tomorrow, if Matt calls them) that LHR handed him only an outline or concept and Mr. Thune did all the work. I certainly would not send them home for it. But in the context of the competition, I want to know how they "used" him, and their own contribution is key. By the way, this is sort of why I think Bob & Dan go home this week: their contribution was simply some standard interview questions. They provided no comedy or insight. Mr. Thune did his best to give good answers, but the hosts stepped outside of what they usually do, and replaced it with nothing at all.

The "interviews aren't in Bob and Dan's wheelhouse*" argument is fair, but no one told them they had to interview Nick Thune. They could have done a 5 minutes of research about him online, found some topics he's discussed in his comedy or in interviews, and then just done their thing but included him in the riffing. I think all 3 interviews had a few stumbling points in terms of what the hosts gave Mr. Thune, but the Dum Dums got things rolling and kept it funny. Totally Laime was a little spottier but still entertaining. Bob & Dan just asked some standard template questions and didn't reveal anything about themselves or their own sense of humor. Left-Handed did a good sketch. In fact, the only thing I think that could have improved it is if they'd found a way for a member of their own troupe to be on the cassette, like interacting with the Guitar Sensei in some way. The Earwolf folks did a good job with their critiques, and I dug the "meet your producer" segment. I'm glad they're finding ways to bring some bits into the studio portion of this podcast. Nice work, everyone!

I like it when Howard "becomes" Lee just to be down on something. He did that on EW Challenge too (the contestants referred to him as "Coach.") @steve - maybe PFT could wear a "Who Charted" eyepatch...

That red water bottle's had a pretty exciting journey. I couldn't even follow the whole narrative. Excellent episode, although I was disappointed by how thoroughly PFT shot down "Suit McGoo" and I only caught one "customer" reference (kudos to Kulap). But "math rock" is the new "customer," so I shouldn't complain.

I'm a relatively new listener to the Challenge, and I'd never heard of any of these podcasts before... Left-Handed Radio seems like a really tight, well-constructed sketch show. I don't have a huge appetite for sketch, but I'm happy to say I could see myself tuning into this on a somewhat regular basis. Dum Dum Club was my other top pick this week, and they've been one of my favorites each week so far. They have a great chemistry and they seem to be on the same page in terms of where to take the story or the riff. I really enjoyed last week's sketch, so I could picture really loving this podcast if they extended beyond simply riffing each week. Totally Laime seems OK. This week didn't seem especially strong to me, but I can get into what they do most of the time. Bob & Dan don't really have a hook for me, but I enjoyed this week's ep a little more than previous ones. F Plus just doesn't appeal to me. Not only does it just seem like "gross-out humor" plus "let's all laugh at the freaks," the hosts don't even really bring anything to it. I might find some enjoyment in it if they used random internet stuff as a springboard to an original conversation or to talk to their guests. Matt, Kulap and Jordan did a great job assessing each show - looking forward to tomorrow's episode!

Hey guys, a quick little suggestion: the clips (especially from the music) used to highlight the "hook," but lately it seems like for each song, you're just hitting "play" and hearing the intro of the song. Since you guys don't always know the song, you wind up hearing the intro and asking each other whether "this is it" or it's going to pick up. Maybe someone could find the "hook" and cue that up? Anyway, keep up the great work... you guys are the best part of my Wednesday mornings!

This podcast was great, but thinking about how much money this movie's making is depressing. I don't care that Hollywood keeps updating old cartoons; I just wish they didn't look so terrible. I feel bad for kids.

Aukerman never told us his 10 Favorite bands...

I believe this site has spelled it "Wie-Wie," as it is derived from "Howie."

Sounded good! Not sure what bombshell you mean, but at one point I heard a background noise that I was sure would turn into a Plane Break. And don't let Mr. Aukerman bust your chops too hard!

Hey, I got a shout-out from both Howard and Kulap in the chart chatter! But Howard thinks I am wrong. This is a real emotional roller coaster for me.