Underunderstood
There are questions the internet just can't answer. But that doesn't mean we can't find them. On each episode of Underunderstood, we find a question the internet can’t answer — maybe it’s a dead-end Wikipedia page, an abandoned Reddit thread, or an unanswered question on Twitter — and we fill in the gaps. It’s part chat show, part documentary, and almost always surprising.
Episodes
It's been a while! We have a quick update about our schedule, plus details about our first-ever LIVE SHOW!
Underunderstood Live
Tuesday August 1, 2023, 7pm
Caveat, NYC (21+)
Tickets (both live and virtual!) at Caveat's website
Hollywood is stockpiling scripts for full seasons of unreleased television shows. Are they throwing them out or saving them for a rainy day?
Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882.
Show notes:
- Why Are TV Writers So Miserable? (The New Yorker)
- Hollywood Writers Strike (Democrac...
Sometimes the truth is stranger than the hoax.
Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882.
Show notes:
- even if it's fake it's real (sippey.com)
- Street View Birth (Andy Wyeth)
- turning random internet drama into songs, part 2 (Twitter)
- Lubalin on TikTok
- Meet The Musici...
John revisits a wild pitch about a mysterious television performer.
Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882.
Show notes:
- The first special (YouTube)
- 2002 thread on The Magic Cafe
- It's No Secret (Chicago Tribune, 1998)
- The unmasking (YouTube)
- The Masked Magician on Diagno...
There’s a formula that dictates restaurant prices in New York City airports. Adrianne digs into what does — and doesn’t — add up. Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882. Show notes:
An obscure pro wrestling-adjacent reality show from 2001 was mired in scandal. Was it really rigged?
Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood.
Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882.
Show notes:
- Another Reality TV Show Is Under Fire (New York Times)
- Manhunt on IMDB
- The Stingray (Wayback Machine)
- Twenty-One (Wikipedia)
- ...
Billy shares a new (old) segment, we examine how real MTV Cribs was, and an important update about the missing broccoli game!
Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood.
Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882.
Show notes:
(02:56) MTV Cribs
- Inside Travis Barker's Surprisingly Tranquil Calabasas Abode (Architectural Digest) ...
Billy helps a listener uncover the true origins of a popular unreleased song.
Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood.
Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882.
Show notes:
- Daft Punk – Pee Is Stored In The Balls (Full Unreleased Demo) (YouTube)
- Pee is Stored in the Balls (Know Your Meme)
- What’s the Deal With Boners? (Cosmopo...
We take listener calls and emails about lost video games, plus a Triscuit update.
Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood.
Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882.
Show notes:
Slope Rider
Billy helps a listener return to VMK, the online world where they remember “learning all the bad words.”
Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood.
Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882.
Show notes:
- Expedition Theme Park’s video about VMK (YouTube)
- Sam from Expedition Theme Park also has a new podcast called Expedition Enthused
- ...
Writer Sage Boggs thought he discovered why Triscuit is called Triscuit. But the cracker brand has a confusing and mysterious relationship with its own name.
A rough version of this story originally ran on our bonus podcast, Overunderstood. This updated version contains some new information and reporting.
Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood.
Have a mystery? Email hello@underundersto...
A Redditor starts receiving boxes full of 1980s memorabilia from the long-defunct California Raisins Fan Club. Who is sending this raisin mail?
A different version of this story previously appeared in our bonus feed, Overunderstood. If you've already heard that episode, there's a lot of new material in this one.
Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood.
Have a mystery? Email hello@underu...
We hear a message from a listener about a scam call. Then, Adrianne runs after a curious message on a city bus.
Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood.
Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882.
Show notes:
A listener question sends Billy on a deep dive into an MTV reality show.
Want to support the show? Become a patron at https://patreon.com/underunderstood.
Have a mystery? Email hello@underunderstood.com or leave a voicemail at 212-994-4882.
Show notes:
John goes on a quest to find a sticker that may or may not have existed.
Support Underunderstood and get our bonus podcast by joining our Patreon!
Show notes:
Billy investigates a theory that Apple products are packaged with a signature fragrance.
Want to join us for "the world's largest trivia contest"? Visit https://underunderstood.com/trivia to sign up.
Support Underunderstood and get our bonus podcast by joining our Patreon!
Show notes:
- 02:00 – Kevin Purdy
- 02:10 – iFixit
- 02:22 – Carbon Switch
- 02:26 – ImportYeti
- 02:39 – #importyeti on TikTok
- 04:14 – Apple on ImportYe...
We were honored to be guests on Twenty Thousand Hertz’s annual Mystery Sound competition, where the four of us competed to name a variety of obscure sounds. We’re sharing that episode now. Plus, some personal news!
Twenty Thousand Hertz tells the stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds. Listen in your favorite podcast app.
Support Underunderstood and listen to over 60 episodes of our bonus ...
An end of the year two-part episode! First, where do Trivial Pursuit questions come from? And then, why is it so hard to find a Pizza Hut Classic?
Show notes:
Trivial Pusuit
These pop singers thought they were going to be the first band in space. What happened?
Support the show and listen to over 50 episodes of our bonus podcast by joining our Patreon!
Show notes:
02:50 – NASA on mission to planet pop (New Scientist)
04:57 – Put Your Arms Around Me (Natural/YouTube)
06:32 – I Love the USA (Weezer/YouTube)
11:45 – Steve Kipner
15:35 – Cla...
Why has the same California license plate been showing up in movies and TV shows for two decades?
Support the show and listen to over 50 episodes of our bonus podcast by joining our Patreon!
Show notes:
- 01:39 – Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Villains" episode
- 02:16 – The Xandermobile
- 02:54 – A113 summary
- 03:43 – Screengrab of the plate in "A Star Is Born"
- 04:11 – Screengrab from "Matchstick Men"
- 04:52 – Screengrab from "Ray ...
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