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

29: The Mandela Effect (ft. Tony from Hack The Movies)

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

28: The Power Glove (ft. Adal Rifai)

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

27: Bees! (ft. The Infinite Escape Room)

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

26: Sensurround (ft. Tony from Hack The Movies)

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

25: Infinity (ft. The Infinite Escape Room)

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

24: Maroonings (ft. Stephen Fishbach)

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

23: Survivor (ft. Stephen Fishbach)

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

22: The Great Molasses Flood (ft. Emily Jillette)

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

21: Uranium Glass (ft. Emily Jillette)

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

20: Frank Lloyd Wright's Nuclear Powered Elevator (ft. Sandy Weisz)

" It might be an affront to the laws of physics."
In this episode of PG's Playhouse, we're going vertical! Today's topic is Frank Lloyd Wright's Nuclear Powered Elevator. Why would you need nuclear power for an elevator? Well, because it was designed to service a skyscraper stretching a mile upwards. David breaks down this totally bonkers skyscraper design that never ended up being built.
Guest Sandy Weisz joins us again to talk about his totally bonkers new game Raddle. Raddle has instantly became a fan favorite amongst daily puzzle lovers. He's taken a classic word ladder-style puzzle and added some interesting transformations. In today's game, Peih-Gee turns the tables back on Sandy with some word ladders of her own.
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to check out our interview with Sandy Weisz on Reality Escape Pod.
 
Full Show Notes
Production Credits
Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Matt Farthing
Logo by Theresa Wagner