November 30, 2023 • 11 mins
Hello, Puzzlers! Puzzling with us today: comedian, actor, and former Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood, Jr.
Join host A.J. Jacobs and his guests as they puzzle–and laugh–their way through new spins on old favorites, like anagrams and palindromes, as well as quirky originals such as “Ask Chat GPT” and audio rebuses.
Subscribe to The Puzzler podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
"The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs" is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and is a co-production with Neuhaus Ideas.
Our executive producers are Neely Lohmann and Adam Neuhaus of Neuhaus Ideas, and Lindsay Hoffman of iHeart Podcasts.
The show is produced by Jody Avirgan and Brittani Brown of Roulette Productions.
Our Chief Puzzle Officer is Greg Pliska. Our associate producer is Andrea Schoenberg.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hello, Puzzlers, Welcome to the Puzzler Podcast. The keyboard shortcut
in your daily Puzzle data entry, I'm your host, AJ Jacobs,
and I am here with our guest, the magnificent I
can say that, right, the Magnificent Roy Wood, junior comedian, actor, podcaster,
(00:28):
this past year's host of The White House Correspondence Dinner,
so much more.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Welcome Roy Hello, Hello, Hello, And of.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Course you were also a correspondent and guest host on
The Daily Show for many years until just recently, so
in honor of that chapter of your career, our puzzle
today is called daily shows. These are all TV shows
or movies with a day of the week in the title. Okay,
(00:56):
so I'm going to give you some clues, and I'm
going to give you several clues for each show, and
I'm going to start out pretty obscure and then get
more accessible so you can solve it on the obscure one.
But we're kind of hoping that you won't so that
I can give you the others. But if you do,
that's totally fine.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
TV shows with the day of the week and the title.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Of the show exactly, or movies. But the first is
a TV show and the main character in this TV
show says, I find social media to be a soul
sucking void of meaningless affirmation. So that's the main character.
Now in the same show. This is the same show.
Another clue for the same show. In this show, Victor
(01:42):
Dora Bantu's hand can be seen, but no other part
of his body, just his hand.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
I've had a good run this week. I think this
is going to be the first one I get wrong.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Okay, all right, well, no, that's good. You're not getting
it wrong because I keep giving the clue. This show
spawned a viral dance that was featured on s n
L and it is about the sister of Pugsley and
the daughter of Mortitia and Gomez Oh Saturday. It is
(02:16):
a one word title, but that is not her name.
It was. It's based on a comic strip. There was
the movies directed by Barry Son and fell Oh. They're
super dark and they are like really creepy.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
And the spooky. Exactly Adams family.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
There it is. But the name of the daughter was
the middle of hump Day is the name.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
That's the Netflix one of the that's the one with
the Netflix spinoff about her.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Right exactly it's just which is Saturday? He wanted to
be said, Wednesday, exactly Wednesday. I love it all right,
next up, did you? I'm guessing you didn't watch that show.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
No too creepy yet have a damn hand walking around.
I'm not watching that shit, bro. I'm sorry for cursing.
I noticed a wholesome podcast, but I'm not watching that shit.
I'm not watching your hand. Welcome. I was just I
was a very scary kid. The first horror movie I
saw was American Werewolf in London. I love that. Too real,
really too real? Just you, but you need to start
(03:29):
small with like Grimlins or like Jaw, like something where
it's kind of sort of scary but still a little goofy,
or you can't really see them. American were Wolf in
London like the first with the wolf malls them at
the beginning of the like within fifteen minutes, he's getting
his jacket eating off this too much. I didn't watch
(03:50):
Fraggle Rock. They lived in a cave. I didn't like it.
I don't trust him.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
That is a horror show. That's hilarious.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
I don't know. The muppets look like didn't brush their hair,
So I just couldn't trust them.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Then bad hygiene. It's true, all right. Next one this
is and remember I'm starting with the obscure and working up.
So this show was based on a book by HG.
Buzz Bissinger. Buzz Bissinger wrote a book and it was
turned into a TV show. It took place in the
town of Dylan. It was actual usc football announcers gave
(04:27):
commentary during the football game sequences, so it was a
football show. The team was called the Panthers, the Dylan Panthers.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Oh, I got you Friday Night Lights.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Friday Night Lights exactly.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
That's another show from the early arts that I just
didn't get a chance to watch because it came on
and I was just traveling during comedy those first ten
years of the two thousands, and everyone raved about it
and they were like, I saw the movie, loved the movie.
But then when the series came out, I know it
was one of those the ratings were never strong, but
(05:02):
the love was great, so they kept renewing it in
spite of the fact, in spite of the fack, in
spite of the fact.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Would you consider watching because I did, I did love it.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
I was watching one of those I need to circle
back to that. I like was it Chandler? Kyle Channel?
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Yeah, Kyle Chandler exactly.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
I like him, And if I'm not mistaken, a couple
of other really great actors and actresses in that film.
I think that was the one show I did watch
was like Heroes, but they came on Mondays, and there's
no comedy on Mondays for the most part in there is.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
That's true.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
I should have been Monday Night. It should have been
Monday Night lights. Interesting, I would have watched it.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Well, they did have a famous slogan, clear eyes, full
hearts can't lose. Have you ever heard that? And I
will say I went to the bathroom once in a
public bathroom that said clear eyes, full bladders can't lose.
So I thought that was that was good marketing if
they were doing I don't know if it was official.
All right, Just two more Days of the Week movies
(06:02):
or TV shows. This one is actually a movie with
a day of the week ind the title. This movie
was based on a New York magazine article that later
turned out to be mostly fabricated. It starts with a
shot of a man's leather shoes as he's strutting down
the Street. The lead actor researched the part by visiting
(06:24):
a discotheque called two thousand and one Odyssey.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Disco Saturday Night Fever exactly Old Travolta, Old Travolta, Old Travolta.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
All right, So he got that early on.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
A lot of great dancing movies as good as that one,
where the culture was part of the character of the film.
Like I don't know every dancing movie I remember from
the two thousands. It's just Julia Stiles proving herself to
a group of black people, or it's you Got Served,
(07:01):
and it's just whatever pop like B two K or
yeah no I I.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
It does seem like a gap. I will say one
thing that made me feel better as like a middle
aged dad is watching John Travolta dance recently at some event,
and he was like dancing like a dad.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Like it was said he lost it, he lost his fastball.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Yeah, all right, last one, last one.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
The title character of this TV movie was a sociology professor.
It's based on a memoir originally titled An Old Man
a Young Man in Life's Greatest Lesson. It ends with
a funeral also held on the week the day of
the week that's in the title. The book was by
(07:51):
Mitch Album and it's about a series of visits to
a wise, old, dying guy from a young man. Very uplifting.
Was originally a book that sold millions.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Mitch Album the Great sports.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Journalist exactly, that's what he's known for among sports fans,
but he's actually known for these sort of delightfully small,
sy tear jerking books.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Ill it was, it.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Was, it was his professor giving him life lessons. I
haven't read it since it came out, but I do
think I cried when I read it. It was Ruby blank,
so Ruby not Monday, but Tuesday exactly, so Tuesdays.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
This it's just maybe.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Tuesdays with Maury. Tuesdays with Maury.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Finally I missed one.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
That's what a way to end.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
We got We stumped you on the final one. That
is funny. Well that is hilarious. Maybe it's because I'm
old and I remember Tuesdays with Maury, but it was
this big schmaltz fest in the I don't know, early
two thousands. Well, okay, thank god we got you on one,
because you've pretty much got everything else. You're a great puzzler.
(09:20):
We had a cash prize, we would give it to you.
Thank you again for coming on and allowing us to
tickle your brain. If that doesn't sound creepy, which maybe do.
Where can listeners find more of you?
Speaker 2 (09:36):
My website is roywood Junior dot com. If you just
put an AT symbol in front of my name or
dot com behind it right there in the episode description,
you'll find me.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
All right. And do find him because he's, as I'm
sure most of you know, he is amazing comedian. Before
we wrap up, as always, we have one for you
puzzlers at home, a little extra credit. I'm only going
to give you one clue. It's a little trick here.
This showtime comedy portrays the events leading up to an
(10:06):
historical event where the losses are estimated at one point
seven trillion dollars. So what historical event had losses estimated
to be one point seven trillion dollars? This is a
comedy about it with a day of the week in
the title.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
That's it.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Puzzlers, Please don't forget to subscribe to the Puzzler podcast
and we'll meet you here tomorrow for more puzzling puzzles
that will puzzle you puzzlingly.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Hello again, puzzlers. Greg Pliska, your chief puzzle Officer, here
with the extra credit answer from our last episode. We've
played a game called the Chicago Cubes with Roy Wood Junior,
in which we take a word that has a long
you like cube and change it to a short you,
so it becomes Here was the clue. I gave you
(11:02):
a female demon that supposedly sucks the life out of
on witting victims while they sleep, which might explain some
of the Cubs woeful seasons. Yes, Roy is a big
Cubs fan, so we were playing around with the Cubs
failures and successes. The answer, of course, is incubus, which
is a shortened form fanatically of incubus, the demon that
(11:26):
sucks the life out of onwitting victims. Hopefully you haven't
been met by an incubus. You've just been enjoying the puzzler.
We'll see you next time.
Hello, Puzzlers, Welcome to the Puzzler Podcast. The keyboard shortcut
in your daily Puzzle data entry, I'm your host, AJ Jacobs,
and I am here with our guest, the magnificent I
can say that, right, the Magnificent Roy Wood, junior comedian, actor, podcaster,
(00:28):
this past year's host of The White House Correspondence Dinner,
so much more.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Welcome Roy Hello, Hello, Hello, And of.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Course you were also a correspondent and guest host on
The Daily Show for many years until just recently, so
in honor of that chapter of your career, our puzzle
today is called daily shows. These are all TV shows
or movies with a day of the week in the title. Okay,
(00:56):
so I'm going to give you some clues, and I'm
going to give you several clues for each show, and
I'm going to start out pretty obscure and then get
more accessible so you can solve it on the obscure one.
But we're kind of hoping that you won't so that
I can give you the others. But if you do,
that's totally fine.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
TV shows with the day of the week and the title.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Of the show exactly, or movies. But the first is
a TV show and the main character in this TV
show says, I find social media to be a soul
sucking void of meaningless affirmation. So that's the main character.
Now in the same show. This is the same show.
Another clue for the same show. In this show, Victor
(01:42):
Dora Bantu's hand can be seen, but no other part
of his body, just his hand.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
I've had a good run this week. I think this
is going to be the first one I get wrong.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Okay, all right, well, no, that's good. You're not getting
it wrong because I keep giving the clue. This show
spawned a viral dance that was featured on s n
L and it is about the sister of Pugsley and
the daughter of Mortitia and Gomez Oh Saturday. It is
(02:16):
a one word title, but that is not her name.
It was. It's based on a comic strip. There was
the movies directed by Barry Son and fell Oh. They're
super dark and they are like really creepy.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
And the spooky. Exactly Adams family.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
There it is. But the name of the daughter was
the middle of hump Day is the name.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
That's the Netflix one of the that's the one with
the Netflix spinoff about her.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Right exactly it's just which is Saturday? He wanted to
be said, Wednesday, exactly Wednesday. I love it all right,
next up, did you? I'm guessing you didn't watch that show.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
No too creepy yet have a damn hand walking around.
I'm not watching that shit, bro. I'm sorry for cursing.
I noticed a wholesome podcast, but I'm not watching that shit.
I'm not watching your hand. Welcome. I was just I
was a very scary kid. The first horror movie I
saw was American Werewolf in London. I love that. Too real,
really too real? Just you, but you need to start
(03:29):
small with like Grimlins or like Jaw, like something where
it's kind of sort of scary but still a little goofy,
or you can't really see them. American were Wolf in
London like the first with the wolf malls them at
the beginning of the like within fifteen minutes, he's getting
his jacket eating off this too much. I didn't watch
(03:50):
Fraggle Rock. They lived in a cave. I didn't like it.
I don't trust him.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
That is a horror show. That's hilarious.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
I don't know. The muppets look like didn't brush their hair,
So I just couldn't trust them.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Then bad hygiene. It's true, all right. Next one this
is and remember I'm starting with the obscure and working up.
So this show was based on a book by HG.
Buzz Bissinger. Buzz Bissinger wrote a book and it was
turned into a TV show. It took place in the
town of Dylan. It was actual usc football announcers gave
(04:27):
commentary during the football game sequences, so it was a
football show. The team was called the Panthers, the Dylan Panthers.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Oh, I got you Friday Night Lights.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Friday Night Lights exactly.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
That's another show from the early arts that I just
didn't get a chance to watch because it came on
and I was just traveling during comedy those first ten
years of the two thousands, and everyone raved about it
and they were like, I saw the movie, loved the movie.
But then when the series came out, I know it
was one of those the ratings were never strong, but
(05:02):
the love was great, so they kept renewing it in
spite of the fact, in spite of the fack, in
spite of the fact.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Would you consider watching because I did, I did love it.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
I was watching one of those I need to circle
back to that. I like was it Chandler? Kyle Channel?
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Yeah, Kyle Chandler exactly.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
I like him, And if I'm not mistaken, a couple
of other really great actors and actresses in that film.
I think that was the one show I did watch
was like Heroes, but they came on Mondays, and there's
no comedy on Mondays for the most part in there is.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
That's true.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
I should have been Monday Night. It should have been
Monday Night lights. Interesting, I would have watched it.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Well, they did have a famous slogan, clear eyes, full
hearts can't lose. Have you ever heard that? And I
will say I went to the bathroom once in a
public bathroom that said clear eyes, full bladders can't lose.
So I thought that was that was good marketing if
they were doing I don't know if it was official.
All right, Just two more Days of the Week movies
(06:02):
or TV shows. This one is actually a movie with
a day of the week ind the title. This movie
was based on a New York magazine article that later
turned out to be mostly fabricated. It starts with a
shot of a man's leather shoes as he's strutting down
the Street. The lead actor researched the part by visiting
(06:24):
a discotheque called two thousand and one Odyssey.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Disco Saturday Night Fever exactly Old Travolta, Old Travolta, Old Travolta.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
All right, So he got that early on.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
A lot of great dancing movies as good as that one,
where the culture was part of the character of the film.
Like I don't know every dancing movie I remember from
the two thousands. It's just Julia Stiles proving herself to
a group of black people, or it's you Got Served,
(07:01):
and it's just whatever pop like B two K or
yeah no I I.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
It does seem like a gap. I will say one
thing that made me feel better as like a middle
aged dad is watching John Travolta dance recently at some event,
and he was like dancing like a dad.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Like it was said he lost it, he lost his fastball.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Yeah, all right, last one, last one.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
The title character of this TV movie was a sociology professor.
It's based on a memoir originally titled An Old Man
a Young Man in Life's Greatest Lesson. It ends with
a funeral also held on the week the day of
the week that's in the title. The book was by
(07:51):
Mitch Album and it's about a series of visits to
a wise, old, dying guy from a young man. Very uplifting.
Was originally a book that sold millions.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Mitch Album the Great sports.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Journalist exactly, that's what he's known for among sports fans,
but he's actually known for these sort of delightfully small,
sy tear jerking books.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Ill it was, it.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Was, it was his professor giving him life lessons. I
haven't read it since it came out, but I do
think I cried when I read it. It was Ruby blank,
so Ruby not Monday, but Tuesday exactly, so Tuesdays.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
This it's just maybe.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Tuesdays with Maury. Tuesdays with Maury.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Finally I missed one.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
That's what a way to end.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
We got We stumped you on the final one. That
is funny. Well that is hilarious. Maybe it's because I'm
old and I remember Tuesdays with Maury, but it was
this big schmaltz fest in the I don't know, early
two thousands. Well, okay, thank god we got you on one,
because you've pretty much got everything else. You're a great puzzler.
(09:20):
We had a cash prize, we would give it to you.
Thank you again for coming on and allowing us to
tickle your brain. If that doesn't sound creepy, which maybe do.
Where can listeners find more of you?
Speaker 2 (09:36):
My website is roywood Junior dot com. If you just
put an AT symbol in front of my name or
dot com behind it right there in the episode description,
you'll find me.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
All right. And do find him because he's, as I'm
sure most of you know, he is amazing comedian. Before
we wrap up, as always, we have one for you
puzzlers at home, a little extra credit. I'm only going
to give you one clue. It's a little trick here.
This showtime comedy portrays the events leading up to an
(10:06):
historical event where the losses are estimated at one point
seven trillion dollars. So what historical event had losses estimated
to be one point seven trillion dollars? This is a
comedy about it with a day of the week in
the title.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
That's it.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Puzzlers, Please don't forget to subscribe to the Puzzler podcast
and we'll meet you here tomorrow for more puzzling puzzles
that will puzzle you puzzlingly.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Hello again, puzzlers. Greg Pliska, your chief puzzle Officer, here
with the extra credit answer from our last episode. We've
played a game called the Chicago Cubes with Roy Wood Junior,
in which we take a word that has a long
you like cube and change it to a short you,
so it becomes Here was the clue. I gave you
(11:02):
a female demon that supposedly sucks the life out of
on witting victims while they sleep, which might explain some
of the Cubs woeful seasons. Yes, Roy is a big
Cubs fan, so we were playing around with the Cubs
failures and successes. The answer, of course, is incubus, which
is a shortened form fanatically of incubus, the demon that
(11:26):
sucks the life out of onwitting victims. Hopefully you haven't
been met by an incubus. You've just been enjoying the puzzler.
We'll see you next time.
Hosts And Creators
Greg Pliska
A.J. Jacobs
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