Mike Q.

Melissa b, I'm going to carry on with the rest of my life assuming that you're talking about Garry Marshall.

@Frank, as always, well done video sir. The images you sync up to the rap give it a certain pizzazz.

That freestyle rap was an instant classic. Loved that Amy was actually trying to tell a weird story about being home-schooled and not just rhyming words. Although I did love Pally's rhyming of hallway with "infirmaray" and of course, Spot Awkwardman's non-rhyming MATH-SCIENCE. (I think he needs to do a collabo with the Who Charted gang + PFT on a MATHROCK/MATHSCIENCE mashup.)

I think Scott's well aware of Zach's predilection to be a "difficult" guest; over at the Earwolf Challenge, they had a fake challenge where Zach was supposed to be a difficult guest for each of the competing podcasts (it turned out to be a bait-and-switch time crunch challenge instead). I think it's actually a game for Scott and Zach seeing as they're good friends. Zach tries to buy into the game as little as possible, and Scott tries to find a way to force him into it. I'm not saying it's always great for listeners or other guests, but when they hit on something, it can still be funny as fuck.

I think Scott's well aware of Zach's predilection to be a "difficult" guest; over at the Earwolf Challenge, they had a fake challenge where Zach was supposed to be a difficult guest for each of the competing podcasts (it turned out to be a bait-and-switch time crunch challenge instead). I think it's actually a game for Scott and Zach seeing as they're good friends. Zach tries to buy into the game as little as possible, and Scott tries to find a way to force him into it. I'm not saying it's always great for listeners or other guests, but when they hit on something, it can still be funny as fuck.

Congratulations to Totally Laime for winning the inaugural Earwolf Challenge! Saying it's the inaugural one means there will be more, right? Congratulations are also in order for the Earwolf Network for a successful season of the world's first reality competition podcast. There may have been bumps along the way as you guys were figuring things out, but the Challenge has been a huge success in terms of engaging listening. Sure, it may not have brought the mainstream crowd that Jeff wished for, but for comedy fans (ok, nerds), this show has been a boon. Not only were we exposed to podcasts we may have never been introduced to otherwise, but we were also unwittingly enrolled in a 10-week long comedy master class by Matt Besser and a parade of comedy podcasting luminaries. The Challenge will be sorely missed every Monday-Wednesday until its glorious return for Season 2. Loved that this episode was a 2-hour retrospective as well as winner reveal. I could (and evidently just did) listen to Hop Scotcherman and Matt Wheelhouse Besser discuss comedy for hours. I think this has been the clearest, best-explained judging day, and I really enjoyed the elucidation of each judges decision. Well done, boys. Lastly, thanks to Frank and Peter for all the hard work, a fond g'bye dickheads to the boys of the Dum Dum Club, and welcome to the Earwolf Network and a second congrats to Totally Laime!

Congratulations to Totally Laime for winning the inaugural Earwolf Challenge! Saying it's the inaugural one means there will be more, right? Congratulations are also in order for the Earwolf Network for a successful season of the world's first reality competition podcast. There may have been bumps along the way as you guys were figuring things out, but the Challenge has been a huge success in terms of engaging listening. Sure, it may not have brought the mainstream crowd that Jeff wished for, but for comedy fans (ok, nerds), this show has been a boon. Not only were we exposed to podcasts we may have never been introduced to otherwise, but we were also unwittingly enrolled in a 10-week long comedy master class by Matt Besser and a parade of comedy podcasting luminaries. The Challenge will be sorely missed every Monday-Wednesday until its glorious return for Season 2. Loved that this episode was a 2-hour retrospective as well as winner reveal. I could (and evidently just did) listen to Hop Scotcherman and Matt Wheelhouse Besser discuss comedy for hours. I think this has been the clearest, best-explained judging day, and I really enjoyed the elucidation of each judges decision. Well done, boys. Lastly, thanks to Frank and Peter for all the hard work, a fond g'bye dickheads to the boys of the Dum Dum Club, and welcome to the Earwolf Network and a second congrats to Totally Laime!

Well look at that guy name-dropping in this forum, who does he think he... oh it's Skit Eekerman. I lost it at this exchange: Werner: Will you please name the number of animals with which you've worked? Zach: Polar bear. Werner: That's not a number. Zach: I'm counting in my head. Werner: You're actually saying it out loud. Zach: You can do both. Werner: It's a free country? Zach: Yea- yes. Well this is not Germany anymore. You're not in Germany. Werner: Those were the days, when this was Germany. Scott: Alright so polar bear... and you wha- in the first of what we hope will be many Hangovers, what was the, what was the animal in the bathroom? Zach: Bradley Cooper!

Well look at that guy name-dropping in this forum, who does he think he... oh it's Skit Eekerman. I lost it at this exchange: Werner: Will you please name the number of animals with which you've worked? Zach: Polar bear. Werner: That's not a number. Zach: I'm counting in my head. Werner: You're actually saying it out loud. Zach: You can do both. Werner: It's a free country? Zach: Yea- yes. Well this is not Germany anymore. You're not in Germany. Werner: Those were the days, when this was Germany. Scott: Alright so polar bear... and you wha- in the first of what we hope will be many Hangovers, what was the, what was the animal in the bathroom? Zach: Bradley Cooper!

I found both final submissions enjoyable, and they definitely have a basic similarity in that both are chat shows hosted by two people (no matter that Psycic Andy is billed as a sidekick on TL). I think having two hosts that have a great rapport with each other is a great formula for a podcast, so it's not weird to see LDDC and TL make it to the final two. I do agree with an earlier post that it was a little weird that LDDC relied on two guests - maybe it was to hedge their fears of any dead air. With Tommy and Carl's quick wit and banter, though, I don't think that should've been a worry. When they said they'd have two guests, I thought it would be one at a time and be edited together, or maybe only have both on mic at the end. At times it got a little hectic and busy, but they all told interesting and funny anecdotes, so the entertainment value was still there. With the final criteria being that only of preference, I'd have to give a slight edge to TL, if only because I think their show has a little bit more of a natural conversational feel to it. LDDC delivers more laughs but at times can be a little one-note. Anecdotes, riffing, more anecdotes, more jokes... it's very high energy, but if they only have one gear, then even that high energy can feel flat. That seems oxymoronic, so I'm probably not explaining it very well. Whereas TL doesn't have the same laugh-a-minute ratio, it feels like they allow their conversation with their guest to develop organically. Often they go to funny places - unsurprisingly so, because they book guests from the comedy world - but they're not afraid to delve into tangents that aren't necessarily funny but are more interesting or dark. Either way, Earwolf is gaining a great podcast, and the Challenge has been a FANTASTIC show to listen to. Always compelling and entertaining, often very funny, and even informative at times. It was really a pleasure to hear luminaries from the podcasting world debate and discuss this relatively new and developing art form. Great job producers, and great job Matt Besser for doing a sometimes thankless task of hosting. I look forward to Season 2 of the Challenge! P.S. Not sure what you have in store for Day 3 of Finale Week, but I would love an overall retrospective show to hear Matt and the producer's thoughts on the show overall - whether it met their expectations, how their perspective changed along the way, how they would approach a second season, etc. I'm not sure if that belongs on tomorrow's show, as it might take away from the spotlight of the winner, but it would make for great listening.

I found both final submissions enjoyable, and they definitely have a basic similarity in that both are chat shows hosted by two people (no matter that Psycic Andy is billed as a sidekick on TL). I think having two hosts that have a great rapport with each other is a great formula for a podcast, so it's not weird to see LDDC and TL make it to the final two. I do agree with an earlier post that it was a little weird that LDDC relied on two guests - maybe it was to hedge their fears of any dead air. With Tommy and Carl's quick wit and banter, though, I don't think that should've been a worry. When they said they'd have two guests, I thought it would be one at a time and be edited together, or maybe only have both on mic at the end. At times it got a little hectic and busy, but they all told interesting and funny anecdotes, so the entertainment value was still there. With the final criteria being that only of preference, I'd have to give a slight edge to TL, if only because I think their show has a little bit more of a natural conversational feel to it. LDDC delivers more laughs but at times can be a little one-note. Anecdotes, riffing, more anecdotes, more jokes... it's very high energy, but if they only have one gear, then even that high energy can feel flat. That seems oxymoronic, so I'm probably not explaining it very well. Whereas TL doesn't have the same laugh-a-minute ratio, it feels like they allow their conversation with their guest to develop organically. Often they go to funny places - unsurprisingly so, because they book guests from the comedy world - but they're not afraid to delve into tangents that aren't necessarily funny but are more interesting or dark. Either way, Earwolf is gaining a great podcast, and the Challenge has been a FANTASTIC show to listen to. Always compelling and entertaining, often very funny, and even informative at times. It was really a pleasure to hear luminaries from the podcasting world debate and discuss this relatively new and developing art form. Great job producers, and great job Matt Besser for doing a sometimes thankless task of hosting. I look forward to Season 2 of the Challenge! P.S. Not sure what you have in store for Day 3 of Finale Week, but I would love an overall retrospective show to hear Matt and the producer's thoughts on the show overall - whether it met their expectations, how their perspective changed along the way, how they would approach a second season, etc. I'm not sure if that belongs on tomorrow's show, as it might take away from the spotlight of the winner, but it would make for great listening.

Haha, nice find, Caroline. I enjoy Totally Laime a great deal, and am really glad they reached the final so that they were able to showcase their podcast in almost full-length form. Like Elizabeth mentioned, I think they became overly concerned with finding a "hook" and branding themselves as the show that asks "the least important questions," which was important early on in the competition when they had to stand out from 9 other podcasts, but was less advantageous later. I think the constraints of the Challenge (short, 2-4 minute bite-sized pieces dedicated to illustrating certain aspects of podcasting) made for a great competition, but didn't necessarily allow listeners to get the full experience of each show, especially chat shows like TL where the easy, meandering conversation often takes interesting turns. What I really like about TL is Elizabeth and Andy's rapport; that they're married adds a unique tinge to the podcast, but more than that, their comfort with each other on the podcast allows their guests to feel at ease, and you can really hear them enjoying themselves. Often, as Harris Wittels noted, guests who weren't friends with Elizabeth and Andy previously very quickly feel like they're old friends and the conversation is allowed to go to weird places. Yes, sometimes they explore sexual themes, but I don't find it lurid or cheap. Just as often the questions lead to something more pointed or serious, as when Charlie starts talking about his neuroses and how he battles them in the courtroom in his head, or when, in a previous show (and prior to her appearance on WTF) Aubrey Plaza talked about having a stroke in college. Congrats to Totally Laime for a great showing, whether they eventually win the Challenge or not.

Haha, nice find, Caroline. I enjoy Totally Laime a great deal, and am really glad they reached the final so that they were able to showcase their podcast in almost full-length form. Like Elizabeth mentioned, I think they became overly concerned with finding a "hook" and branding themselves as the show that asks "the least important questions," which was important early on in the competition when they had to stand out from 9 other podcasts, but was less advantageous later. I think the constraints of the Challenge (short, 2-4 minute bite-sized pieces dedicated to illustrating certain aspects of podcasting) made for a great competition, but didn't necessarily allow listeners to get the full experience of each show, especially chat shows like TL where the easy, meandering conversation often takes interesting turns. What I really like about TL is Elizabeth and Andy's rapport; that they're married adds a unique tinge to the podcast, but more than that, their comfort with each other on the podcast allows their guests to feel at ease, and you can really hear them enjoying themselves. Often, as Harris Wittels noted, guests who weren't friends with Elizabeth and Andy previously very quickly feel like they're old friends and the conversation is allowed to go to weird places. Yes, sometimes they explore sexual themes, but I don't find it lurid or cheap. Just as often the questions lead to something more pointed or serious, as when Charlie starts talking about his neuroses and how he battles them in the courtroom in his head, or when, in a previous show (and prior to her appearance on WTF) Aubrey Plaza talked about having a stroke in college. Congrats to Totally Laime for a great showing, whether they eventually win the Challenge or not.

There were a lot of nervous moments, but when Superego passed Osama up and chose Gaddafi instead, your sketchmates Adam and Matt were seen whooping it up and crying tears of joy in the LHR war room.

There were a lot of nervous moments, but when Superego passed Osama up and chose Gaddafi instead, your sketchmates Adam and Matt were seen whooping it up and crying tears of joy in the LHR war room.